All has gone as planned regarding finalizing the architectural plans for our new building and we are looking at an approximate start date of construction of March 1st.  I hope we can count on you to participate in our committees to facilitate the move.  Please plan on attending the CIS Foundation Meeting on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in our school library.   You will have opportunities to sign-up for the committees and get an update on our building. 

Measure of Academic Progress (MAPS) Testing

Will continue this week, please see our schedule below.  We are in need of snack donations for our students to help boost their energy and metabolism for test taking.  Please seen the link below to sign-up to bring snacks for our students.

We test our students on the MAPS in the Fall, Winter, and Spring to help us guage student learning and help us adjust our instruction. 

You can also help your child prepare for testing by:

1.  Making sure your child gets a good night's sleep and eats a healthy breakfast

Many teachers report that students who don't do well on tests haven't gotten enough sleep, and haven't eaten breakfast on the morning of the test. Doing both of these things will ensure that your child is working at full capacity (Narang, 2008).

2.  Remain positive

Staying calm will help your child stay calm. Try to make it a stress free morning and drive to school.   If she gets nervous about the test or is likely to experience anxiety during the test, help her practice some relaxation techniques that she can try once she's taking the test (Narang, 2008).

  I hope you have a great week.

Respectfully,

Dr. Elsy Diaz

Head of School 

HEAD OF SCHOOL PARENT SURVEY

As we continue in our 2013-2014 journey of learning at CIS it is essential that we continually reflect on our work as parents and educators.  Being a reflective parents and educators means looking at what we do, thinking about why we do it, and thinking about if it works - a process of self-observation and self-evaluation. By collecting information about our interactions with our children, analyzing and evaluating the information, we identify and explore our own practices and underlying beliefs. This may then lead changes and improvements in our teaching and parenting.

In the spirit of promoting reflection, this year, the Governing Council and I are implementing an evaluation process for my work as the Head of School.  The process involves surveying parents and teachers three times per year to gather input on my work as the Head of School.    We have taken the list of CIS families and divided it into three parts, Fall; Winter; Spring.  Some of you might have received a survey request in the Fall and others will be receiving an email asking you to take 10 minutes from your busy schedule and reply to the Winter survey.  The survey will provide valuable information to me on the areas that are working and the areas that need to be improved.  If you do not receive the survey this Winter, you will have an opportunity to reply to the Spring survey.  Your responses to the survey are critical in helping me reflect on my work in leading the school towards our CIS vision.