FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL - ESCA

1 FIRST week OF SCHOOL Thank you to everyone for a wonderful FIRST week of SCHOOL . What fun it was to see everyone, watch the students reconnect with old friends, begin to create new bonds of friendship, and to be in our new and improved learning space. With a strong emphasis on community and teamwork the staff and students of ESCA managed a running start on achieving our SCHOOL wide academic goals. I was lucky enough to spend much of the week visiting the classrooms, meeting families, and exchanging ideas with my colleagues on how to make ESCA even better. It was fascinating to visit the Preschool classrooms and then walk over to our new Educational Resource Center (ERC) to listen in on lessons with the Secondary and IGCSE students. How quickly students grow, develop, and learn!

2 Reminding me how important making the most of each day, lesson, and interaction with our students is. We look forward to another great week , seeing you all at our 10th September Open House, and continued excellence. ESCA Newsletter for ESCA Parents and Friends | No: 2 / 2015-16 5th September 2015 PARENT MEET & GREET: THURSDAY 10TH SEPTEMBER, 17:30-18:30 Dear ESCA Families, You are invited to attend the European SCHOOL in Central Asia's Open House on Thursday, 10th September from 17:30 - 18:30. The format of our Open House will provide an opportunity for you to visit classrooms, meet with your child s teachers, learn more about the SCHOOL s curriculum, resources, and extracurricular activities, as well as celebrate the beginning of the 2015-2016 SCHOOL year. SCHEDULE: 17:30-17:40 Welcome in the Courtyard 17:40-18:10 Informational Meetings in Form Classrooms (including time for questions) 18:10-18:30 Reception in Courtyard We hope to see you all there and would encourage our ESCA students to accompany their parents attending the Open House.

3 Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions prior to our Open House programme. MESSAGE FROM THE GOVERNING BOARD To all new students and parents: Thank you for choosing ESCA as your SCHOOL in Bishkek! To all new staff members and partners: Thank you for choosing ESCA and Bishkek as your place to live and work in the Kyrgyz Republic! We are thrilled to see our SCHOOL community growing year by year and take pride in sharing our achievements and unique features in this newsletter. As a non-profit community SCHOOL , ESCA was established in 2010 to offer excellent international education with a high degree of community and parental involvement. Furthermore, an important objective of the SCHOOL is to influence the development of education in the Kyrgyz Republic. We believe this foundation is seen in everyday actions of the SCHOOL and in the ambition to continuously develop our SCHOOL that offers.

4 - A dedicated and highly competent team of national and international teachers delivering a rigorous curriculum, extensive language choices including a third language option, and an excellent range of extracurricular activities and SCHOOL events - A long-term commitment to implementing a professional development programme for public SCHOOL teachers to help them improve their teaching skills - A scholarship programme allowing 6 Kyrgyz students the opportunity to study at ESCA - A 230,000 USD investment this year in SCHOOL facilities and equipment with another extension planned for summer 2016 - The FIRST IB candidate SCHOOL in Kyrgyzstan - A broad range of opportunities for parental involvement in parent committees, the Governing Board and the diverse programme of SCHOOL activities and events - Strong community involvement through the members of the Advisory Council and Governing Board Management at ESCA ESCA has a collegiate management board that oversees the daily running of the SCHOOL : Erin McRaith - Head of Education Saikal Nogoibaeva - Head of Admissions and Acting Chair of the Management Board Oksana Nam - Head of Administration The Management Board works closely with a group of coordinators: Hana Cho - IBDP Coordinator Daniel Comar Secondary SCHOOL Coordinator Cilla Dowse - Primary SCHOOL Coordinator For more information on the history and governance of ESCA please see MESSAGE FROM THE PARENTS ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE Welcome to the new SCHOOL year, I hope that you are excited as I am about the year as I am.

5 If you are not aware every parent or guardian of a child at ESCA is a member of the Parent s Association. This is an organisation that seeks to support the SCHOOL in many different ways, including providing feedback, supporting new families to the SCHOOL , fundraising and organising events. There is a management committee of 10-12 parents that meets regularly to do this. We also facilitate the class representatives - a key role in integrating parents and class teachers throughout the year. Our FIRST event is our annual meeting on Thursday, 17th September, please do join us to hear about the changes to the SCHOOL over the summer and the plans for the year to come. It is a great time to ask the Parents Association or the SCHOOL management any questions you may have. We will also be asking for volunteers to join PAMC, as we have a few vacant positions and for new class representatives for the SCHOOL year.

6 If you would like to help the SCHOOL continue to improve in this exciting time of growth and development please do, your support and time will be greatly appreciated. Liz Dugdell Chair Parents Association Management Committee IMPORTANT INFORMATION: DROP OFF AT SCHOOL ESCA is located in a quiet residential area and it is essential that we do not disturb our good neighbours when children are dropped off at SCHOOL . It is also important that the drop off system works smoothly so that other parents are not delayed by drivers who do not think. To make the system work, follow these rules: 1. Only enter and leave along the roads shown on the map below and ALWAYS FOLLOW THE DIRECTION OF THE ARROWS. 2. NEVER STOP YOUR CAR WHEN YOU HAVE JUST ENTERED THE SCHOOL GATES as this holds up everyone behind you. Instead move on and pull into a parking spot before your children get out.

7 3. Please make your stay in the morning as short as possible so that you make space free for other people arriving later. 4. Even if you are held up by some thoughtless driver in front of you who has not read these rules, DO NOT BLOW YOUR HORN but just wait patiently for them to move on. The ESCA security guard is responsible to get them to move, not you. "THE EARTH WITHOUT ART IS JUST EH" During the FIRST week of SCHOOL students designed their own sketchbooks. Each one of them turned out to be different and unique. Older classes are now preparing sketches for illustrations of plants which we can find around the SCHOOL . MENU ESCA will offer Menu B from 7 to 11 September. Please follow the link to see the menu. UPCOMING EVENTS Thursday 10 September: Parent Meet & Greet Thursday 17 September: Parents Association Meeting Saturday 19 September: Open Day Wednesday 23 September: Kurban Ait no SCHOOL INTERNATIONAL CLUB FOR KIDS YOUTH (FORMER BYAG) PRESCHOOL Welcome to Preschool!

8 This week has been fun and exciting for all 3 Preschool classes. Our main topic of the week was All About Me. We have been exploring our new environments (classrooms), learning rules, taking turns, and most importantly making new friends. Each class has been doing fun activities related to All About Me! In Preschool 1 the children have been focusing on learning their new environments and have made great progress this week . In Preschool 2 the children have been talking about the body parts, recognizing our names, and started working on the letter S. In Preschool 3 the children began working on a book titled All About Me! . This book will be available for you to look at during parent teacher conferences on Thursday, 10th September. Preschool 3 students have also been talking about how our classroom is a community and how we have to work together to make everything run smoothly.

9 Next week our Preschool classes will continue talking about All About Me! , but also start talking about our families. We would like to ask each parent to send in a family picture if at all possible. Please make this a copy that you would not mind us keeping all year. Lastly, we would like to remind our parents to please read the Preschool ground rules! We would also like to highlight some reoccurring issues: 1. Next week Preschool 3 will start having weekly home work. We will also start sending home a folder about your child s daily activities and behaviour. Please return them every day! 2. Please provide suitable clothes according to the weather with enough spare clothes. 3. Please label all spare clothes, bedding, towels, PE clothes, and water bottles. 4. Please make sure your child has a clean water bottle and towel every Monday.

10 If you do not already have these items labeled we will label them for you with a permanent marker. We will send these items home on Friday to be washed and returned on Monday. 5. If your child sleeps, bedding should go home on Friday and clean bedding returned on Monday. 6. Please bring your child before 8:30 as late arrival distracts our morning activities. If for some chance you are running behind and are late please go to the receptionist to make sure you child is counted present for the day. 7. Please do not send toys from home except Friday for Show and Tell . Toys are distracting and tend to go missing or broken. Leaving them at home eliminates this problem. 8. Every Friday we will clean out your child s locker and put whatever belongings are left after pick-up in a plastic bag with their name on it.