Student Weekly
August 21 to 25, 2023
Schedule
Aug 21 to 25
Monday "A-Day"
Tuesday "B-Day"
Wednesday "A-Day" - Air Missile Defense drill
Thursday "B-Day"
Friday "A-Day"
Upcoming Dates to Remember
Announcements
Message from Mr. Carroll, MS Principal
Dear DRAGONS
Week 2 is in the books (all finished) and we are into school days full of academic content now. This year, all your teachers are going to be working to help you get better at reading and writing in every class. I challenge you to take the opportunities they provide you seriously. They are working to help you develop skills that you will need for the rest of your life. It’s better to learn those things now, rather than to lose opportunities later! Have a great week!
Message from Mr. Boland, MS Associate Principal
If you notice in my announcements below, there are several repeat items from last week. I have spoken with several students about their language use at school. As we continue this new school year, language expectations are high, and we need students to rise up to meet them. Safety, inclusion, and kindness all come from the language you use.
Review my announcements below because the information will help you solve problems and bring clarity to some questions you might have.
Communication Expectations: As a reminder from our Clubs Assembly on Thursday, we all have choices to make when we communicate with others. School is not a place for cursing and foul language. It is a Middle School goal this year to improve the level of communication and make school a safe, respectful learning environment for all. Cursing and foul language do NOT meet the basic communication expectations of our school. If you are unsure, please read the section titled: Schoolwide Detracting Behaviors on page 65 of the School and Dorm Life Guide 2023-2024.
Headphones: Some students have been wearing headphones around their necks at school. Headphones are the same as AirPods or earbuds. They should be in your bag like any other Personal Electronic Device. They should only be taken out with a teacher's permission to use them, and then they should be put away again.
Personal Electronic Devices (PEDs) - According to the School Dorm and Life Guide, “Day students may bring PEDs to school but they are to remain out of sight throughout the school day. Staff may confiscate PEDs that are visible during the school day.” PEDs should be in your bags and out of sight while on campus. They should NOT be in your pocket or hand unless it is for an academic purpose. Taking your PEDs to the bathroom during classes or break time is not meeting our school expectations.
Student ID Cards: Our School Dorm and Life Guide highlights that student ID cards are part of the school uniform. Students are expected to have their cards on their person at all times while on campus. Make sure you have your ID with you!
Fire Drill Reflection: Great job with our emergency evacuation drill this week. A few things to keep in mind during an evacuation (drill or emergency) are:
Walk with a sense of urgency.
Keep your hands to yourself (refrain from holding hands and draping your arm on others).
Remain quiet - there may be announcements or directions that you cannot hear.
Locker Issues: Please please follow these steps if you have any problem with your locker. First, try to solve the problem yourself. Second, ask your advisor for support. Third, complete this form.
Library at Recess: Please complete the proper grade-level form should you want to go to the library instead of going out to the MS Field during recess time.
The form will be opened each day at 8:10 am and closed each day at the end of class, right before lunch. The form will be located in the Reminders Section of the Student Weekly.
Air Missal Defence Drill: On Wednesday afternoon, across all of Korea, the country will have a safety drill. For this drill, we will be bringing all students down to the ground floor. Please listen to your teachers and follow instructions.
Grade Level Announcements
Grade 6
We had an excellent second week of school and you are starting to get a feel for our routines. This week remember a few things:
It is important to get a good night’s rest each night. Try to get 8-10 hours of sleep.
On Monday, your Macbooks will be serviced by the IT department. You will not have your Macbooks Monday evening but they will be returned to you on Tuesday.
Grade 7
We had such a great week last week and we hope that we continue to see you doing an excellent job of being prepared for class. Remember to be aware of your surroundings while walking in the hallways, that is a shared space and we don’t want to bump into each other or into bulletin boards. We also should be using our lockers to store our belongings, you should be using it for umbrellas, smaller musical instruments, and your backpacks at lunch.
Grade 8
Please make sure you are behaving appropriately in the stairways. Keep your hands to yourself and stay to the right. If you are walking through the 5 grade hallway then you need to make sure you are moving quietly as they are not on the same schedule as us. Keep up the good work in classes! It is time to really settle in and get a good start on the year!
Clash of DRAGONS
GET READY DRAGONS! We are back and are looking forward to a fun year of competition amongst our Houses. Here are this year’s Grade Level Lists. GRADE 6 GRADE 7 GRADE 8 FACULTY
Students and teachers that were here last year should have remained in the same House. New students and teachers were added where needed to even out the numbers. Students NEED to find their name on their Grade-level list to see their House. Once you know your House, you MUST complete this T-Shirt form by Tuesday, August 22, 2023. Students should show their advisors their computer screens to make sure the form has been completed.
School and Dorm Life Guide
Each week for Semester 1, there will be a short Google Form asking questions about our school’s guiding document, The School and Dorm Life Guide. Students are expected to read and understand this document. If you complete the quiz, and get all the questions right, there might be a small reward for you! Sorry I missed you last week, for those that got them all right, your prize is coming. Here is Quiz #2, and a chance to win a second prize.
MS Clubs and Activities
Q1 clubs begin on Tuesday, August 15. All students should attend each club session from 330 to 400pm each and every Tuesday and Thursday.
Broadcast Club
Is your birthday coming up soon? We would love to do a birthday shoutout for you in our next broadcast!!! Please complete this form.
STUCO
STUCO is excited to start brainstorming fun events and activities for MS students! Please reach out to your grade-level STUCO representatives if you have any great ideas and stay tuned for information about the upcoming Fall Festival! Your STUCO reps are:
MS Athletics
FIRST WEEK OF SEASON 1 PRACTICE ALERT!!!!
If you have not heard from your coach, I strongly recommend that you email him or her with any questions, however, if you really need help and a quick response, email/DM Mr. Oren.
If you are currently registered with a Season 1 Athletics Team or are considering becoming part of a team in Season 2 or Season 3, then it is strongly advised that you join the KISJ Athletics Google Classroom to stay informed of the latest happenings and information for all KISJ Athletics teams. You can join by following this link.
Use the table below to answer all of you’re who, what, where, when questions:
MS Theatre
Auditions Begin!
Auditions Begin this week. Message Mr. Dingle (bdingle@kis.ac) if you have any questions
PLAYWRITING FESTIVAL SIGN UP: WRITERS ONLY!
IMPORTANT NOTE! This form is not to audition to perform in the Playwriting Festival, this form is only for students who would like to write a play.
MS Robotics
The 2023-24 season is off to a great start! We have 20 enthusiastic young engineers ready to tackle this year's challenge, “Full Volume”. GEC tournament dates will be announced soon for those interested in coming out to support our teams.
MS Music
AMIS Orchestra & Band Festival Auditions
Auditions are due before October 23 for either the AMIS MS Orchestra Festival or the AMIS MS Band Festival. You must meet with Mr. Vest or Mr. Chapa to discuss the audition. The Orchestra Festival is held February 21-25 at KISJ and the Band Festival is held April 10-14 at HKIS (Hong Kong). Please contact Mr. Vest or Mr. Chapa if you have any questions.
MS Library
Let's Get Reading!!!!. The library is ready to support you this year. We have new books, new ebooks, new databases and much more. Remember you always have a book or magazine available through SORA. Just download the SORA APP or go to soraapp.com on your computer. Navigate to Korea, Consortium, and find our school. Your login id and password is your student ID #. If you have any problems getting in drop by the library. We can help!
If you need Library information access the library LibGuide at https://kis-ac.libguides.com/mslibrary. It has lots of information for you to use this year
Finally….. Don’t sell yourself short. Find a good book and read, Read, and READ! some more. This year is all about Literacy and reading is part of that. Reading a lot and reading many different types of material will enrich your life in more ways than can be counted. Reading fun as well.It is one of the things that you are able to control.
MS Lost & Found
The MS Lost & Found is located inside the MS Office.
If you find something that looks like it has been left behind by a fellow classmate, bring it to the MS Office.
Always make Lost and Found the first place you look for misplaced items.
We clear away old items at the end of every month.
REMINDERS
Wednesday After School: On Wednesdays, we have an early dismissal at 325. Students are expected to head off-campus or back to the dorms. Our library is open every day until 5pm. This is where students MUST go if they wish to wait after school for an after-school activity (sports/drama) or if they ride the school bus. Attendance for athletics will be taken. The deli is not an option for students until after 4pm.
Personal Electronic Devices (PEDs) - According to the School Dorm and Life Guide, “Day students may bring PEDs to school but they are to remain out of sight throughout the school day. Staff may confiscate PEDs that are visible during the school day.” PEDs should be in your bags and out of sight while on campus. They should NOT be in your pocket or hand unless it is for an academic purpose. Taking your PEDs to the bathroom during classes or break time is not meeting our school expectations.
Respect - Remember to make sure that the language you use is respectful. Think about the words you use, they reflect who you are. In classrooms, English is the language we use.
Library at Recess: Please complete proper grade-level form should you want to go to the library instead of going out to the MS Field during recess time.
The form will be opened each day at 8:10 am and close each day at the end of class, right before lunch. The form will be located in the Reminders Section of the Student Weekly.
Bicycles, Scooters, and Skateboards: Students should not be riding these vehicles on campus. Students should walk these vehicles through the gate. All students should wear helmets as well.
Uniforms - Uniforms must be worn properly. Club shirts, Ambassador shirts, Team jerseys, hats, and Dorm clothing are NOT part of the casual uniform. ALL students should have their KISJ casual shirt on, even if they are wearing a KISJ hoodie. Respect our community by respecting our uniform.
FAQs
If you are wearing your formal uniform, long sleeve shirts should be tucked in and neckties are worn with the knot at the top of the shirt (not hanging loosely).
Plain white/black shirts purchased in the uniform shop are NOT uniform pieces. They are for wearing under uniform shirts if you choose.
Students are expected to ALWAYS be in uniform when on campus during the school day.
Shoes: The MS and HS have simplified the shoe policy schoolwide. For formal and casual uniform days, “Shoes must be all black and have closed toes and a back that covers the heel: running shoes (sneakers) are permitted.” This includes the logos, laces and soles on your shoes. If you have to ask, then you probably know the answer. It is awesome to see that most students have had the correct footwear for the first days of school. If you have other colors on your shoe, please make sure to get your new shoes ASAP. If you use Naver or Coupang you can find links to several shoes that meet our requirements. Many shoe stores such as ABC Mart also carry all black shoes in Nike, Reebok, Sketchers, etc.
Hoods and Hats: Hoods and Hats can be used outside for weather protection. Once you enter indoors (classroom, hallway, stairwell, cafeteria, lobby, etc.) all hats and hoods should be removed.
Responsible Use Policy (RUP) - It is important to review our Responsible Use Policy. During the school day, we should be using our Macbooks for academic purposes, only. Students should not be shopping, gaming, or visiting non-academic websites during the school day.
Locker Issues: Please please follow these steps if you have any problem with your locker. First, try to solve the problem yourself. Second, ask your advisor for support. Third, complete this form.
Playground Expectations: The MS has access to the playground area during lunch recess on Tuesdays and Fridays. Do not climb on the outside of slides, and make sure you do not hang upside-down on the monkey bars. The monkey bars are for swinging with hands only.
Stairwells - We need to be mindful of our behavior in the stairwells, especially during passing times and at lunchtime.
We do not want too many students trying to squeeze up the stairs. This leads to pushing, and that leads to accidents and injuries. It is also not practicing social distancing. Students really should be walking up and down the stairs, no more than two at a time, and keeping to the right.
The volume level should be low. There is always another grade or two that are in classes. As you move about the building you need to "turn off your outdoor voices.
Middle School Uniforms
Please continue to follow our uniform policy. Students are expected to be in the proper uniform at all times and to wear their uniforms properly. Non-uniform clothing should not be worn on campus during the school day.
