Dear High School Students, Parents, and Guardians (BCC),
I hope this email finds you safe, healthy and content, regardless of your location in the world. We hope you all are having a relaxing Spring break with your family and loved ones. Let's get ready for the third week of Continuous Learning starting tomorrow (Monday).
Our community is spread across the world right now - some of you’ve left Delhi weeks/days ago, and others might be leaving Delhi over the next few days/weeks. And many of us are staying in Delhi happily and safely, I’d assume. My family and I will be here until the end of May, I’d hope. The campus is quiet and calm right now. Birds are chirping along and there is an abundance of sunshine these days. The current weather in Delhi is unseasonably not hot! The AQI is between 50 and 80 most of the afternoons and evenings. There are many things that fill my heart with gratitude, every day.
I continue to remind myself to take the current situation as a gift and not a crisis, as an opportunity and not a disaster. How we react to the situation will determine how well we will come out on the other end. Compassion, friendship, and solidarity must guide us on this journey.
Here are some possible dates/times for our students and parents to connect and communicate with Mr. Kitch and Mr. Syed.
(Optional) Virtual Check-In for HS Students - (Indian Standard Time):
Grade 9 Students: April 9, Thursday at 10 AM
Grade 10 Students: April 9, Thursday at 11 AM
Grade 11 Students: April 9, Thursday at 1 PM
Grade 12 Students: April 9, Thursday at 2 PM
(Optional) Virtual Check-In for HS Parents - (Indian Standard Time):
Grade 9 Parents: April 10, Friday at 10 AM
Grade 10 Parents: April 10, Friday at 11 AM
Grade 11 Parents: April 10, Friday at 1 PM
Grade 12 Parents: April 10, Friday at 2 PM
These meetings will offer informal check-ins and opportunities for candid dialogs among students, parents and high school administration. I will email the Zoom link 15 minutes before the start of the meetings to the respective groups.
General information for All Students and Parents
Continuous Learning
Given the rapidly changing nature of the situation, AES will continue to deliver learning virtually. As our community disperses across the globe, flexibility will be key and we may find ourselves moving further away from synchronous learning. The success of learning in high school during this time will rely on open communication between teachers, students, and parents. If you need anything or have a question, please ask. We can’t take care of learning unless we are taking care of our emotional well-being first.
Attendance
High School teachers will continue to record student attendance every Friday through the PowerSchool portal.
Grades for Freshman, Sophomores, and Juniors
Due to our changing circumstances, with an increasingly higher number of students and teachers leaving India, the high school faculty is in discussions about possibly going to a Pass/Incomplete grading system for semester 2. Many schools around the globe are considering such a change in order to relieve pressure for the community. AES is hearing from universities and colleges about how they will deal with academic records from this time. The main message is that universities and colleges will accept whatever sort of record a school provides as long as it is explained in the school profile or other supporting documents. We will communicate a final decision on this matter by April 15th.
MAP Testing for Grades 9 & 10
The MAP Testing for Grade 9s and 10s originally scheduled for April 22 to April 24 has been canceled. The Grade 9s and 10s completed their MAP testing in the fall and that data will be useful for tracking and supporting our students in the 20-21 school year and beyond.
While the MAP data is important, testing under these unusual and somewhat stressful circumstances may not provide an accurate measure of where our students are at in their academic progress.
Final Exam for Semester 2, IB/AP Mock Exams
As we transition to Continuous Learning for the remainder of the school year, these exams have been canceled. This will allow staff and students extra time for Continuous Learning and alleviate the stress and anxiety associated with exams and the current COVID-19 situation.
Transcripts and Report Cards
We recognize the importance of publishing report cards and transcripts in time for university admissions. AES will be able to follow our original timelines for the publishing of report cards and transcripts.
Report cards will be available in PowerSchool by May 29th. Transcripts will be available on Parchment by May 21st at 4:00 PM only for those who have completed and submitted their Check-out form (more information coming soon).
AES Certificates and other documents
We understand that many families have or may soon be flying from New Delhi. For those who will not be here in May to receive documents in person, AES will mail or courier the documents to you.
If you require documents mailed to you, please complete this form by May 8th.
Certification of Participation in Clubs
We realize that certificates stating activity and service club participation are important for our student portfolios. AES is able to print a certificate stating the activities and service clubs that our departing or graduating students participated in during their time at AES.
Departing or graduating students are requested to complete this form by May 8th if they would like a certificate acknowledging their participation in a Service Club or AES Activity.
Additional Documents
Please complete this form by May 8th if you are departing or graduating and would like copies of the following documents.
Letter of Graduation
School profile
School calendar
MAP scores
ES/MS school records
Return of laptops, textbooks, instruments, & other resources.
When no longer needed for educational purposes, all items such as laptops and chargers, textbooks, instruments, library books, and other school items can be returned to Gate 2. The security staff will document all items that have been returned.
AES is working on a way for items to be returned should you be out of the country and/or unable to return any items due to local travel restrictions.
Awards Ceremony
Teachers and coaches are currently working to identify students who will be recognized. Although there will not be a ceremony, we are still thinking about ways to honor these students in addition to the certificates awarded. The actual certificates will most likely be mailed.
Class Council Elections for SY 20-21
Class Councils perform a vital function to the spirit and camaraderie at AES while providing leadership opportunities for our students.
The HS Admin team in conjunction with the current members of EC and CCs, will communicate the format and timeline for CC Elections in the Daily Student Announcements in the near future.
Information for Seniors - Class of 2020
Grades for Seniors
Seniors will continue to be graded using their current scale. This decision was made to be least disruptive to the university/college admissions process and to recognize that there were only about 4 weeks between the time of the implementation of Continuous Learning and the end of classes for seniors.
Graduation
Given the recent decision to maintain our Continuous Learning model through May 29th, the graduation ceremony will be virtual. A team of adults (Iftekhar Syed, Jason Hicks, Derwin Kitch, Cristina Alcoz, Teresa Hjellming, Thomas Wesson) and the Grade 12 Class Council members will begin designing this process the week of April 6th. We have already solicited some ideas from the Senior class and value the input of students around the design and execution of a ceremony that celebrates the class of 2020.
Senior Picture with Caps & Gowns
Please SUBMIT your name using this Google Document and follow the direction below:
Allow 24 hours of advance notice before coming to AES and report to gate 2
You must bring your own camera and photographer (parents or siblings) to take photos
Call Extension 3025 from gate 2, if needed to connect with Mr. Kitch
Gowns and Caps are kept in the room A104 (Health Room, right next to the HS Office)
You must return everything to the same place (A104) after taking your photos
Senior Dinner, Prom, and Senior Walkthrough
Unfortunately, these events have been canceled.
Important Dates for Class of 2020
Last day of Instruction - Tuesday, April 28
Last day for turning any missing assignments - Friday, May 1
Tips and Tricks for Parents during Continuous Learning
Wide Open School by Common Sense Media
For more info check the AES Continuous Learning website
Our campus is empty without our students and teachers. And we really miss you all. We hope that the current Covid-19 situation improves swiftly and we all can get back to our normal routines. We look forward to seeing you through the zoom meetings this coming week. Please stay home and stay safe. Sleep, eat and exercise appropriately. Reach out to someone when you need to. Take a break and contemplate. Take an extra nap, if possible. Help your parents and younger siblings with their work. Enjoy this gift of time that we didn't ask for but we all have now. Bake a cake and surprise yourself!
With love, hope, and gratitude,
Mr. Syed and the rest of the high school staff