Newsletter-August 2020

Ameena, CEO

Message from the Head of School

A new academic year, new chapters, new circumstances. There are many uncertainties, but what I can say with certainty is that we are starting a new academic year on August 24, 2020. In keeping with government directives, our campus will remain closed, but we will continue to execute our online programme – new and improved. The pandemic is closer to our reality than before, and today, more than ever, we need to prove our mettle, and uphold the resilience we have displayed, as individuals and as a school community. We are in this together!

Format of Newsletter:

In the spirit of starting afresh, we present our newsletter, with a twist! We hope this newsletter answers most of the questions you may have. If not, please feel free to contact the relevant people, who have been listed in this newsletter.

Fee Discount:

Let us start with a topic that has been a talking point, not just for AIS, but for schools regionally and globally. This was also a point that kept coming up in the survey we recently sent out. We are happy to share that, in keeping with our promise last year, we have not hiked the tuition fee this year, instead, we are offering you a discount.

However, before I discuss the discount, I would like to thank all the parents who had faith in us and our programmes and invested in it.

Yes, just like our global counterparts, we have also seen a drop in enrollments, with many parents opting for a gap year for their children. And that has us impacted severely, but we will not give up. These are challenging times, but we are up for it! No matter what, quality education should not stop.

On that note, we acknowledge all the survey feedback and numerous meetings, and are happy to share that the Directors have decided to extend a discount of 25% for the Early Childhood Department on one term’s fees (with an additional 5% discount if fees are paid within the first two weeks of school) and for the Primary and Secondary Department we are offering a 20% discount on one term’s fees (with an additional 5% discount if fees are paid within the first two weeks of school). You will receive invoices this week. Fees are due on or before September 07, 2020

We understand and respect the situation that some families are in, at the moment, due to which we are also offering monthly payment plans. Kindly keep reading to find out who to contact for this.

Professional Development:

As mentioned above, our teaching staff is back to work and preparing very hard to welcome you and ensure a rich teaching-learning experience. Also, these staff, other than teaching students, will be engaged in learning themselves. They will have weekly professional development sessions proving they are lifelong learners. They have also found themselves thrown into the deep end, to teach in new ways, but they are all set to learn those ways and then make this process of teaching and learning rich and engaging.

Open Day:

Normally, this is just for new students and parents, but this year it will be for all students and parents. This will be done by each homeroom teacher on Friday, August 21, 2020. We exhort all parents to attend the AIS Open Day and meet your child’s teacher. The teachers will share with you the new timetables and the expectations for the new class. Our school Open Day will take place on August 21, 2020. This will be a great opportunity for your child to interact with their teachers, and for you to clear any doubts that you may have.

Upcoming Events:

Acorns International School is committed to leaving no stone unturned. All calendared events such as CCC, PTO elections, CEM assessments and Global Village will be held (of course, virtually) and we will keep parents updated.

Please let us be mindful and remember that these are temporary times, these are temporary solutions and temporary hardships. We will see better times, where we will be on campus and learn together as we did last year this time. Let’s be more hopeful, more forgiving, little kinder, more helpful and we will defeat this situation and smile back at life.

Warms regards,
Ameena Lalani
Head of School/CEO

Message from Principal

We are elated to have you back for yet another academic year 2020-2021.It is a time of unsettled waters with this global pandemic that has befallen all of us. But we all know that life will have to move on so as school for learners because time is precious and once lost it cannot be recovered. We welcome you all to our online line till government allows schools to open
physically but with a better improved promise that the classes will be interactive and educative as well.

We understand that parents have gone back to work so the worry has been on the children’s concentration but learners can adopt to anything once it is taught to them it is time we need to teach them that concentration is a value because even in a physical classroom they need it for learning to take place.

Our commitment is still the same to be able to produce holistic children who can survive in all situations and such unpredictable times such as these. We welcome you to be part of this mindset where we believe that where there is a will there is a way.

Last but not least, we warmly welcome the new families that have joined Acorns International School, and promise to serve you to our best of our ability.
Happy learning!

Evelyn Twebaze
Principal

Message from Vice Principal

Dear parents,
It is with great pleasure that I welcome you all to another exciting year at Acorns International School. I consider myself very fortunate to work with many dedicated and innovative staff members, parents and students.

Acorns International School’s curriculum and practices are consistently reviewed to ensure that we are following the most updated best practices, meetings all regulations, and addressing the future needs of our students. One of the largest areas of growth is the increased use of technology for the classes.

Each year we celebrate a theme; this year’s theme will be “kindness starts with one’’. Throughout the year our staff and students will be using this theme to motivate and guide our social interactions, support our efforts to improve the community, and to encourage us to take care of ourselves and each other. Being kind is a choice, an attitude, and become a habit.

Rumina Gaulani
Vice Principal

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