Notes from the Superintendent - American School of Kinshasa Talk/TASOK TALK Ju… · · 2015-06-09Notes from the Superintendent June 5th, ... Dr. Epp partnered to select a new math

TASOK Home of the Condors

Phone: 08 188 46619 Fax: 646 619 4231 Website: www.tasok.net

The American School of Kinshasa Rte de Matadi Kinshasa, DRC

TASOK TALKTASOK TALKTASOK TALK

Notes from the Superintendent

June 5th, 2015

Superintendent’s Notes Assistant Principal: a New Position at TASOK In 2015/2016 TASOK will have a third administrator on the leadership team. Dustin Collins has been appointed as Assistant Principal with re-sponsibility focused on grades kindergarten through grade 8. This move fits smoothly with Mr. Collins’ experience for two years as elementary division leader and K to 8 assessment coordinator. Mr. Collins has al-ready made an energetic start in his new role, meeting especially with middle school faculty in groups and also talking individually with every member of our middle school team. He has of course maintained his strong leadership with the elementary team throughout this transition. In both divisions this year he has worked with teachers on revising hand-books and course guides and on reflecting on the reporting systems for both divisions. At the start of the 2015/2016 school year families will learn about the newly revised report cards in both elementary and middle school. Mr. Collins will also teach two sections of grade 8 mathematics. He and Dr. Epp partnered to select a new math curriculum for grades 6 to 8, which focuses on critical thinking and problem solving. The program, Go Math, was developed in the US and is directly tied to the Common Core Standards for learning used in US public schools. Go Math provides both a student workbook and online and teacher generated materials. The curriculum lends itself well to meeting the needs of gifted math stu-dents, mainstream students, and students who are working with chal-lenges in math. Rakesh Kodwani will also teach using Go Math in grades 6 and 7. Reading the above notes, it is obvious that Mr. Collins will be a student-centered leader who is deeply connected to faculty development. Above

all, he will keep attention where it belongs at TASOK; on student learning.

Grade 5 for 2015/2016 in Two Sections Year by year TASOK has been slowly growing and now has a stable student population of over 300. Grades 6 to 12 have been divided into two sections per grade for the past 4 years, but in elementary we have maintained just one section per grade level. This year, we will make our first move in changing elementary by dividing grade 5 into two sections. TASOK wants to maintain the experience of changing classes for our grade 5 students as they prepare for the transition to middle school. The split will preserve that experience. Dan-iel Chaney will teach English and Math to both sections of grade 5. Samilia Afrifa, currently teaching with Mr. Chaney and Mr. Collins, will teach Science and Social Studies in grade 5. Mr. Bruno will serve as the teaching assistant for both sections. Grade 4 students will next year be a self-contained classroom for all subjects. This decision will ensure that our largest class at TASOK will no longer be overflowing. There is a cap of 32 students in the grade level, with 16 in each section. Students will be all together for specials so the class can maintain all their friendships and connections. A small-er size will strengthen academics just in time for the big move to secondary.


Last Day of School: Friday June 12/Graduation June 10 6:30 pm Next week is the last week of school. Elementary special events and learning celebrations will go on all week. High school graduation is on Wednesday June 10, starting promptly at 6:30 pm in the TASOK Tent on the upper field. On Friday June 12, elementary will have an appreciation assembly on the elementary cam-pus. Starting right after the elementary assembly at around 9:00 am both middle and high school will gather in the tent for middle and high school awards along with some final per-formances. Parents are most welcome at all of these celebrations. It’s time to celebrate the end of anoth-er great year at TASOK!

Farewells Saturday June 6 is the annual faculty farewell when we say good-bye to international teach-ers departing for their new posts. Wednesday June 10 is graduation night for the fantastic Class of 2015. And Friday June 12 is my last day at TASOK, after 8 years, that now seem to have passed in a blink. TASOK has been a labor of love for me, probably my hardest job ever and also the most satisfying. My satisfaction comes from my confidence that TASOK is now ready for the next stage: the focus on curricular development and teaching that are bound to come with the arrival of Simon Gillespie. There are so many folks to thank that I will concentrate on just the most important one: the students of TASOK. They have been my inspiration and my “boss” since the day I arrived. I never made a decision without TASOK students as my guiding priority. So in the end, any-thing we’ve achieved goes right back to them. If not for you, there would be nothing here.



Dear High School Parents, This is my final TASOK Talk article of the school year. I want you to know it has been my hon-or to serve you and your family this past school year. I feel connected to TASOK High School students and am looking forward to returning in the fall to serve you and your family next year. It’s an emotional time of year, with seniors getting ready to move on to university. TASOK seniors are certainly poised to be successful wherever their journey leads them! In fact, if you are a parent of a senior, you know that Senior Night takes place this Sunday at 6:30PM in the CAC (our large auditorium). This is a special event exclusively for immediate families of seniors. As a reminder, our Graduation Ceremony is scheduled for 6:30PM on Wednesday, June 10th. Then, on our last day of school, Friday, June 12, we will have both an Athletics and Aca-demic Assembly. Our Athletics Assembly will start at 8:45AM under the tent adjacent to our volleyball area. Our Academic Awards Assembly will follow shortly after our Athletics As-sembly. Final Exams will take place on Monday and Tuesday of next week. During Final Exams, stu-dents are only required to be at school when they are scheduled to take an exam. Howev-er, they are required to be on time for all of their exams. Your students have been given their final exam schedule. Please check with them, so that you are aware of when they are required to be at school and when they are free. All the very best,

Dr. Steve Charbonneau

HIGH SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS

June 5th, 2015


Photos from last week’s TASOK Senior Prom


Middle SCHOOL

Grade 5 Transition Day Fifth grade students prepare to make the leap to Middle School next year

On Thursday, May 21, 2015, the fifth grade class gathered in the new Middle School Tech Lab to participate in a special day of engaging activities to assist them in adjusting to middle school next year. The seed of Transition Day is rooted in the interests of relieving anxiety and helping students adjust to the idea of Middle School, so that they are comfortable on their first day in August. Greeted by Principal Dr. Charbonneau, Assistant Princi-pal Mr. Collins and the Student Services Team Mr. vK & Ms. Hajee, students reviewed the student handbook, learned about the grading policy, and asked questions about future expectations. Thereafter, students raced around Secondary campus following a trail of clues and orienting themselves with important resources, class-rooms, and school personnel essential to the daily life of Middle School students. Racing back from the scaven-ger hunt, fifth graders were divided into two groups and attended four 25 minute mini-lessons with their future MS teachers. Students were actively engaged in Humanities, Math, Metamorphosis, and Science lessons. Receiving an overview of each of these courses, fifth graders adjusted to the idea of having multiple instructors and balancing a rigorous Middle School schedule. Adjusting to various teaching styles and being able to meet all expectations was a concern they expressed during a debrief at the end of the day. After lunch, a few rounds of breakout sessions with the Student Services Team and nurse in-cluding activities revolving around organization, time management, and dealing with stress. The conclusion of Transition Day wrapped up with role plays, discussion, and reflections on the emotions of preparing for middle school. We congratulate our 5th graders on their accomplishments this year, as they prepare to “move on up” and cross the street from Elementary campus and enter the Middle School next year. See you in August!

June 5th, 2015


The Importance of Summer Reading by Scott Miller

As we approach the last week of school, students, teachers, and parents sigh with some re-lief.

no more homework, no more trips for forgotten homework or performances,

no more vocabulary lists, and no more projects, at least for two months.

While it is important to relax and enjoy some time away from the routines of school, it is important not to forget about it all. After all, “Reading is to the mind, what exercise is to the body.” Like children are encouraged to exercise, they must also be encouraged to read during their summer vacation.

READING STILL MATTERS!

1) According to a journal article “The Effects of Summer Vacation on Achievement Test Scores,” students who do not read during the summer vacation lose two to three months of reading achievement.

2) In the article “Addressing Summer Reading Setback among Economically Disadvantaged

Elementary Students,” the authors’ study concluded that elementary students who read 10—15 books at home during the summer gain as much in reading achieve-ment as students who attend summer school.

3) In another article, “Summer Reading and the Ethnic Achievement Gap,” middle school

students who read only five to six books over the summer do not suffer from that summer reading loss.

These three studies are only a small representation of the work that has been done on the loss of learning created simply by not reading during the summer. A small difference in reading achievement can become a large gap in reading achievement if there is only one difference—one student reads over the summer and the other does not.

READING STILL MATTERS! Kylene Beers, a consultant in literacy education, provides four guidelines for helping your child read over the summer:

1)Allow them to read books which look good to them. Offering supportive guidance is great, but allow the final choice to be the reader’s choice.

2)Provide gentle reminders of the need to read throughout the summer. 3)Give them permission to read easy books. 4)Celebrate reading series. In Carlsen and Sherrill’s “Voice of Readers: How We

Come to Love Books,” the authors found a strong positive correlation between avid reading as an adult and series book reading as a child or teen.


News from Middle School Technology

We always encourage parents to talk to their children about their activities online. The following recommendation comes from the NetSmartz curriculum:

“Establish clear guidelines, including time limits and consequences for inap-propriate behavior, but be open so your child will come to you with any problems.”

NetSmartz As part of our unit about Digital citizenship, 8th Grade students were asked to estimate their digital footprint with social media. The top 6 are shown below: Instagram: an online mobile photo-sharing, video-sharing and social networking service that enables its users to take pictures and videos, and share them on a variety of social net-working platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Flickr. Snapchat: a mobile app that allows users to capture videos and pictures that self- destruct after a few seconds. Facebook: a social networking website that makes it easy for you to connect and share with your family and friends online.

Wattpad: a writing community in which users are able to post articles, stories, fan fiction, and poems. It is a global sensation in young adult literature.

Twitter: an online social networking service that enables users to send and read short 140-character messages called "tweets". Registered users can read and post tweets, but unregis-tered users can only read them. Vine: a six-second video app owned by Twitter. Colette Chalier and Steve Minu, Technology Teachers



School Supplies for Elementary School ( 2015-2016) TASOK Elementary School Kits are required for all students from Kindergarten to Grade 5.

These kits include various supplies carefully selected by your child’s classroom teacher. All supplies will be conveniently assembled for each student and available for purchase from

Registration Day onwards as follows: Kindergarten: $40

Grade 1: $40 Grade 2: $25 Grade 3: $40 Grade 4: $40 Grade 5: $40

All kits include a complimentary TASOK planner. For more details you can download the list from the TASOK website www.tasok.net .

For your convenience, a hardcopy will be sent home with your child’s report card. Pre-payments are also accepted if you prefer to pay in advance. School kits are kept in the

classrooms. School Supplies for Middle School

Middle School Supplies lists are available for Grades 6, 7 &8. Students are required to have them ready for August. These supplies may be purchased outside of TASOK. TASOK plan-ners are provided by the school. For more details you can download the list from the TASOK website www.tasok.net . For your convenience, a hard copy of the supply list for your child’s grade will go home with

the report card.

PE Uniforms for all divisions K-12 Starting August 2015, all students (K-12) will be required to purchase a TASOK PE T-shirt.

Students must wear the PE shirt with black shorts of their choice to participate in physical education classes. The PE shirts will be available for purchase at the office for $15.

Additional Supplies are available through the Elementary & Secondary Student stores all-year.


Business Office Corner

2015-2016 Tuition Agreements & Invoices for returning students

Dear Parents and Guardians, Invoices and tuition agreements for next school-year were sent home with your child last month. If for any reason, you missed the May 29 return deadline, make sure you return the tuition agreement(s) signed as soon as possible. School vacation starts in a week! Contact the office right away to request a copy of your invoice and/or tuition agreement at [email protected], if necessary. After June 12, the Business Office will be open for limited services until June 26. Please note that payment for next academic year is due by August 17 2015. Registration day is Friday August 14. For your convenience, details on Elementary & Middle School supply will be included in re-port card envelopes. Questions/Comments are welcome. See frequently asked questions below. Sincerely, Kareen Laplanche Business/Finance Manager Email: [email protected] +(243) 81-880-1330


Frequently Asked Questions on Tuition Agreements & Invoices 1.Q: Do I have to fill out another agreement if I already did last year?

A: Yes. The tuition agreement is annual contract with the school and is only applicable to one school-year and is specific to a student and his/her grade.

2.Q: Is the tuition agreement different from the re-enrollment form?

A: Yes. The re-enrollment confirms the return of the student. The Tuition Agreement is the parent/guardian’s engagement to pay the school fees. It is important to select the plan of payment A or B. The collection process is based on the mode of payment.

3.Q: If my company is paying, do I still need to sign the form? A: Yes. By signing the form, you allow the school to bill your company. You must provide a letter from your company confirming support. 4.Q: I am with an embassy or embassy-affiliated agency, do I need to sign the form?

A: Yes, same as question 3. However, no need to produce a letter. Our office deals directly with the human resources and finance departments of diplomatic missions to confirm or re-confirm financial support. You only receive the tuition agreement form.

5.Q: Can I change plans of payment after I turn in the tuition agreement form?

A: Yes, as long as it is before school begins on August 17. You must make an appointment to come in person and complete another form.

6.Q: What happens if I lose the invoice & tuition form? A: You can always request another one in person or via email before June 26. Note that this

does not change the penalty schedule. Make sure that payment is received by the due date. 7.Q: How do I pay? A: Payment instructions are included in the invoice. Carefully transmit the details to the pay-

ing party. If your bank needs additional instructions, direct the officer to the Business Manager for more information. Note that issuers are responsible for all bank charges when wiring funds to the school’s account. See with your banker for the appropriate codes to use to ensure that amounts on invoices are received in full.

8.Q: How late can I return the tuition form?

A: As soon as possible and by the deadline stated on the cover letter. The tuition agreement completes the enrollment/re-enrollment process. Availability of seats is important to con-sider for grades reaching capacity.

9.Q: Who can sign the tuition agreement? A: Parents or legal guardians. This must be consistent with admission documents. The person

who signs engages the family or paying party. 10.Q: Why should I sign on both sides? A: It is important to carefully read and sign on both sides. This means that you verify the

schedule of fees, understand the penalties and accept the terms of the agreement.


Vehicles for Sale!

2009 FORD Everest: Asking price 17,000 USD or best offer

For more details please contact the Business Manager after March 16 by phone at +243818846619/+243818801330 or by email at [email protected].



PTC Activities CALENDAR

Mark your calendars for future PTC activities

�� Jun 10 Flowers for Graduation 1st Semester When What Where Time Aug14 Registration Day-PTC information Table CAC 09:00-12:00 Aug 27 Welcome coffee and tea with PTC ES Cafeteria 08:00-09:00 Sep 24 PTC Monthly Meeting ES Cafeteria 08:00-09:00 Sep 27 Welcome Picnic 2015 HS Cafeteria 02:00-05:00pm Oct 29 PTC Monthly Meeting HS Library 08:00-09:00 Nov 12 PTC meeting for Int’l Lunch HS Library 08:00-09:00 Nov 19 PTC meeting for Int’l Lunch HS Library 08:00-09:00 & Holiday Bazaar Nov 25 TASOK Annual Int’l Lunch Upper basket Court 11:30-13:00 Nov 11 Holiday Bazaar & Drama Production TASOK Theater 06:30-08:30pm

June 5th, 2015


A notice from the TASOK Libraries

As the end of the year approaches, please keep in mind the following important dates: Friday May 22: deadline to return all library materials Week of May 25: billings for lost* materials *any materials not returned by May 22 will be considered lost and billed according to TASOK policy. Report cards are withheld when any accounts are unpaid, and this includes library materials. The current policy for lost materials is :

Paperback books ................................................................................ $25 Hardcover books ................................................................................ $50 College prep/Exam prep ................................................................$80 Kindles .................................................................................................. $100 Kindle case or charging cable ............................................... $10 ea Magazines .............................................................................................. $10

Our system emails overdue notices to Homeroom teachers each Monday, and to parents/students each Tuesday. After an item has been overdue for 4 weeks or more it is considered lost. Invoices for lost items are to be paid directly to the TASOK Cashier. If you have any concerns about your child’s account, please ask if he/she has received any overdue notices either via email or from the homeroom teacher. MS and HS students can check their accounts online at school by visiting : destiny.tasok.net. You may also email [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns. Ms. Chalier Head Librarian


SAT Prep Course

The SAT Prep Course is being offered this fall beginning August 29 at 8:00 a.m. for seven Saturdays (28 hours). The prep course will finish in time for the Novem-ber SAT Exam. All materials including the 2015 US test prep course book, extra practice materi-als, and tests are included in the course cost of $350. If you are interested in signing up for the course, let Ms Chalier ([email protected] ) or Mr. Lindstrom ([email protected]) know as soon as possible. Space is limited, sign up early.

Please note, the spring SAT Prep course will be geared to the NEW test format, which begins in March 2016.


CAFETERIA

Elementary SchoolElementary School

MondayMonday Potato w/Beef and VegetablePotato w/Beef and Vegetable

$ 3.00$ 3.00 TuesdayTuesday

Spaghetti BolognaiseSpaghetti Bolognaise $3.00$3.00

WednesdayWednesday Hotdog Hotdog –– Chicken/BeefChicken/Beef

$3.50$3.50 ThursdayThursday

Rice + Vegetable with Chick-Rice + Vegetable with Chick-enen

$3.50$3.50 FridayFriday Pizza Pizza $3.00 $3.00

Every dayEvery day SandwichesSandwiches

Chicken Sandwich Chicken Sandwich $3.00$3.00 Tuna SandwichTuna Sandwich $3.00$3.00 Veggie SandwichVeggie Sandwich $3.00$3.00

Each meal and Sandwich will be ac-Each meal and Sandwich will be ac-

companied by fruit and vegetable on companied by fruit and vegetable on the sidethe side

Ceres JuiceCeres Juice $2.00$2.00 YogurtYogurt $1.00$1.00

Grade 6 to 12Grade 6 to 12

MondayMonday Rice & Beans ($2.50), Chicken Rice & Beans ($2.50), Chicken

Nugget W fries and salad Nugget W fries and salad vegetablevegetable ($5.00)($5.00)

TuesdayTuesday

Rice & Beans ($2.50),, Maca-Rice & Beans ($2.50),, Maca-roni sautéed w/roni sautéed w/Chicken and Chicken and

vegetable ($5.00)vegetable ($5.00) WednesdayWednesday

Rice & Beans ($2.50),1/4 Rice & Beans ($2.50),1/4 Chicken w/fries ($6.25)Chicken w/fries ($6.25)

ThursdayThursday Rice & Beans ($2.50), Spa-Rice & Beans ($2.50), Spa-ghetti Bolognaise ($5.00)ghetti Bolognaise ($5.00)

FridayFriday Rice & Beans ($2.50), Lasagna Rice & Beans ($2.50), Lasagna

($6.00)($6.00) Every dayEvery day

Samosa Samosa $2.50$2.50 Spring rolls Spring rolls $2.50$2.50 Hamburger Chicken or Beef Hamburger Chicken or Beef w/friesw/fries $5.00$5.00 Shawarma Beef/ ChickenShawarma Beef/ Chicken w/friesw/fries $5.00$5.00

Grade 6 to 12Grade 6 to 12 (continued)(continued) SandwichesSandwiches

Chicken Sandwich $4.00Chicken Sandwich $4.00 Tuna Sandwich Tuna Sandwich $4.00$4.00 Veggie Sandwich Veggie Sandwich $4.00$4.00

SnacksSnacks

ChipsChips $2.00$2.00 WaffleWaffle $2.00$2.00 YogurtYogurt $1.00$1.00 OrangeOrange $1.25$1.25 AppleApple $2.00$2.00

DrinksDrinks

Ceres juiceCeres juice $2.00$2.00



Orphan-age Visit

Middl


The American School of Kinshasa (June2015)

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Satur-day

01 02 03 04 05 06

07 08 09 10 11 12 13

TASOK Contact Information

Reception: 0818846619 Principal: 0815109714 Registrar: 0821767106

Superintendent: 0817005567 Business Manager: 0818801330 Nurse: 0972619325

Superintendent’s office: 0810637556 Business Office: 0819531185 Email: [email protected]

6:30pm Middle school Per-forming Arts Parents Night

Seniors Grades Due /Board meet-ing

MS Tr. 3 Reports Due

SAT/ Faculty Fare-well Party

Senior Exit Interviews

HS(9-11) Semester 2 Exams

Author ‘s As-sembly Wet ,Wacky,

Wild Day

Graduation Rehearsal

Graduation

Sport Day/Hs(9-11) Grades due

Deer Picnic

Final Day of Classes– Early Diss-missal

Documents

Notes from the Superintendent - American School of Kinshasa Talk/TASOK TALK Ju… · · 2015-06-09Notes from the Superintendent June 5th, ... Dr. Epp partnered to select a new math