director@ans.edu.ni / www.ans.edu.ni

August 20^th, 2008

The American Nicaraguan School

Cooperation, Participation, Respect

= The Elementary Parent–Student Handbook will be given out to students on Friday, August 22. For any clarification on the Handbook, please contact the Elementary Office at 278–5013 or elementary@ans.edu.ni. The signature page must be returned to your child’s teacher no later than Friday, August 29.

= Parents, please take note that the Open House will take place on Thursday, September 4. Please block this time on your agenda to stop by to meet your kids’ teachers and learn about this year goals and the ANS community, mission, and beliefs.

= As we all know, the beginning of each school year represents a challenge for all of us. One of these major challenges is organization. There are different ways of helping our children’s learning process through “organization skills” that will result in better academic performance. “The successful ending of a school year depends upon a successful beginning.” (Lavaoie. R. 2007). For information on “organization skills” strategies please contact Ms. Reyes, Learning Support teacher, at creyes@ans.edu.ni.

= Several elementary teachers participated in professional development workshops and conferences during the summer. Mrs. Ortega, Mrs. Wheelock, and Mrs. D. Romero from the Spanish Department attended the International Reading Association Conference in Costa Rica. Mrs. Espinoza and Mrs. Duarte attended the Western Carolina University Summer Institute focusing on early childhood. Mrs. Clarisa Leal attended a Literacy Conference in Seattle, Washington. Mrs. Carmen Reyes attended a Special Needs conference also held in Seattle, Washington. Finally, Mr. Ramirez attended workshops on the topic of highly able students at the Center for Talented Youth at Johns Hopkins University. All of these professionals will share the lessons learned at the workshops in order to better serve our students while improving the academic program.

= The Middle school assessment calendar has been

posted on the school webpage. Please check it to keep up with your child’s exams, projects, etc. Keep in mind that only those assessments of the quarter gradethat are worth 10% or more will be reflected on the calendar.

= If your child is interested in applying for the National

Junior Honor Society, the application may be downloaded directly from the Middle School webpage.

= All Middle School students were given an MIT

(Multiple Intelligences Test) to determine their preferred learning style. The purpose of this exercise is to help teachers provide more appropriate instruction to each student.

= Middle School students will be electing their repre-

sentatives to the Middle School Student Council (MSSTUCO) next week. We wish all the candidates good luck.

= The 2008-09 school year is off to a great start. The

new Covered Athletic Area has now been inaugurated and is in use. Class Officer elections are right around the corner. Community service clubs are signing up volunteers and electing officers. And the Spanish Department is busy planning for the Nicaraguan Independence Day celebrations, which are less than a month away.

= ANS welcomes Ms. Audra Fischer, who was hired

as a permanent substitute teacher. She and Mr. James Varese will be responsible for covering classes (grades K3–12) when teachers are out ill or for other reasons. Welcome aboard Ms. Fischer!

= ANS Parent-Student Handbooks have now been dis-

tributed for students in grades 6-12. Students must return the signature page by Friday, August 22. Parents can download and print blank signature pages from the ANS website. Online grade access will be denied for those failing to submit the Parent-Student Handbook signature page by the deadline.

= Congratulations to all the students who registered for the extracurricular 

sport activities that start next Monday. We are confident it will be a fantastic year full of fun and excitement. Also keep in mind that our Copa America XIX will begin on September 29. Go Tigerrrrrs!

= Parents with children born between 1993 and 1998: If your child likes to do

track & field, this information is for you. There will be an interscholastic competition on Saturday, September 20, at the Managua Olympic track located at INJUDE. We would like to form the ANS track & field for that competition, so if you are interested, please contact us at 278-0029 ext 17, or at oortiz @ans.edu.ni. The information is also posted on our webpage in the Athletics Section. Confirmation deadline: September 4.

= We are fortunate to have our graduates take the time

to return to school and share university experiences with our Seniors. On August 8, Carlos Espinosa ‘05 discussed the quality of education, scholarship opportunities, and student life available in Minneapolis. On August 14, Camila Sarmiento ’07 described her experiences at Amherst College and encouraged students to take advantage of the opportunities they may provide.

= The 2008 CIS Tour will be on campus September 23.

Representatives from 30 U.S. universities will be in our new CAA  to speak with interested students and parents and will present workshops. Students and parents are encouraged to sign up in Student Services to attend one of the following sessions (278-0029 ext 41 or rsmithvaughan@ans.edu.ni): 1-3 pm Seniors and their parents; 1:30-3 pm Juniors and their parents; 2-3 pm ANS community and Nicaraguan community and their parents. From 3:30-4 pm you may attend one of the following workshops: 9^th-11^th Grade How to Prepare for U.S. Universities; The University Essay; The Admissions Selection Process; Athletic Scholarships in the U.S. University System.

= The Middle School Counselor, Mrs. Maria Jose

Morales, met with 6^th grade students in the Ossi room on Monday to talk about Bullying. Mrs. Morales encourages parents to ask their daughters or sons about it.

ANS BOARD ELECTIONS

Attached please find a description of the voting procedures. We still need candidates for the Vote Counting Committee. You are welcome to volunteer. Elections will be held on Thursday, September 4, 2008.

= Online Grades will be available to parents and students starting

Monday, August 18. Online grades are available 2 weeks after the beginning of each quarter and are closed 2 weeks prior to the end of each marking period. Please remember that in order to access online grades through PowerGrade you need a username and password for each child (same as last year). New Parents: usernames and passwords are available through the respective offices (Elementary, Middle or High School) or contact Mr. Pastran, ANS Registrar, at 278-0029 ext 21.

= We look forward to an open communication between parents and

School. Please keep your email address up-to-date by emailing us at technology@ans.edu.ni with your children’s name, grade and e-mail address where you wish to receive ANS information.

We have just received a wonderful collection of new titles for the Library. I will post different topics of interest so you can come by and check out related books. This week’s topic is: Having Trouble Putting Your Child to Sleep? If interested on this issue, please stop by the Library and check out the books on this subject. At the same time, I would like to remind parents and students to make sure that all library books are returned on time. This way, everyone can benefit from the wonderful resources we have available.

PARENT MEETING

The Director General invites parents to attend his first Parent Meeting of the year on Tuesday, August 26, to discuss College Placement Issues and Advanced Placement Requirements, Course Work, and Exams in the School. Ms. Rachael Smith-Vaughn will participate as a presenter. We highly recommend all High School parents come to this meeting as well as parents of Middle School and Elementary that want to learn about requirements and changes for High School students. Presentations will be in English at 7:30 a.m., and in Spanish at 12:30 p.m., in the OSSI Room.