Category: school

In recent weeks, we have moved some important items into our PowerSchool interface that are important informational and process links for parents. After login to PowerSchool, you’ll see a menu item labeled “QuickLinks.” Please click on this link to access the ASW Dashboard – your portal to the most critical information of school operation. You’ll note a governance link for direct board governance information, links to important documents of procedure and policy, and links to important forms for incident reporting and easy access to security information. We will be adding additional links here as required to make this a one-stop location for critical school information. Look for continuous upgrades in the weeks ahead.

Reminder – Vehicle Access

Reminding you that over the coming weeks, parking permits will be provided to all parents and staff who request them by presenting a valid ID at the main entrance security desk.  You may register and pick up parking permits for up to 3 vehicles per family. Permits will be tied to individual cars (by license) and should be hung from the rearview mirror or placed behind the windshield so that they are visible when entering campus and while the vehicle is parked on campus.   Starting now, security will be reminding everyone without a permit about the new requirement. After February 22nd, your badge will not open the entrance gate until a security guard confirms that you have a valid pass visible in the vehicle. Your ID badge and the vehicle permit are both required to enter the campus.

Water Update

We are just about two months after our issues with the water supply and wanted to provide an update with regards to recent testing and our efforts during the winter vacation. We just received our most recent water tests and all measures were excellent. This was undertaken after additional work during the vacation on our water fountains and the general flow of water to all locations in the building. So this report confirms that everything is back to normal and we continue to monitor under our regular protocols. Reports are available for viewing in our Operations department at your discretion.

We are taking the new year as an opportunity to implement some additional tweaks to our security plan that were recommended by our ongoing review of practices and procedures. ASW will now require all vehicles to be registered for campus access.  Over the coming weeks, parking permits will be provided to all parents and staff who request them along with a valid ID.  You may register and pick up parking permits from the Security Desk at the main entrance (Maximum of 3 vehicles per family). Permits will be tied to individual cars and should be hung from the rearview mirror or placed behind the windshield so that they are visible when entering campus and while the vehicle is parked on campus.   Until February 21st, security will be reminding everyone without a permit about the new requirement. After February 22nd, vehicles will not be permitted to enter the campus without a permit.

Thank you in advance for your assistance in implementing this quickly and efficiently during the coming month!

I hope everyone has returned refreshed and ready for ASW, 2019-2020, Part 2! Wishing you all well from afar as I’m out on the recruiting road seeking new staff for ASW for next year. As is the case every year, we will have some staff turnover, much as we do in our diplomatic and expatriate community. We are in the process of hiring now and looking to bring our process to quick conclusions. More details on this will eventually be posted here on Zimplicity and in future eNotes in order to keep you informed. I will return on Tuesday next week.

In the meantime, I know that we are all watching world events with some concern at the moment. I know that this can cause some levels of stress for our families, especially for those from selected regions of the world. As a community, we value our diversity and our collective regard for each other in times of concern and instability. Please know that we are monitoring for stress in our children during times like this and strive to make sure that our school is a safe place and supportive of their concerns as their age allows them to become aware of world events. One helpful site worth reviewing is here:

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/talking-to-your-children-scary-world-news

Much of this advice is part of the way we respond to world events that may be hard for children to understand. As the website points out, it is helpful to recognize that children are more aware at times than we might realize. Helping them to make sense of things is important and listening can be a key strategy for understanding their confusion and helping them resolve their concerns. Please let our counselors or your child’s teacher know if you have any concerns and know that we have other resources available as needed.

Best wishes to all on our first week back and I’ll look forward to greeting you at the entrance next week.

Water Issues

First, my thanks for your patience and flexibility as we dealt with our water issue this week. It’s always a daunting challenge when we face environmental issues like this and have to address these through our emergency planning. In this case, our plans and reviews worked efficiently and our staff did a great job of identifying the issue, communicating it, and quickly applying remedies. It’s in these moments that you truly appreciate your support staff who spent countless hours protecting the environment for our students. There were many trips to facilities and offices, phone calls with representative and testing labs, monitoring of reports and results. My thanks go out to our team for all of their wonderful efforts on behalf of all the students in our care!

Recruiting

As you may remember, each year in November, we ask staff to make their decisions about returning for the next school year. We have just completed this project and staff have informed us of their intent. We’ll have detailed information about this out to you after the start of the new calendar year and our return in January. As usual, a majority of staff are returning for next year.

One item of note was the recent announcement by Ms. Jen Munnerlyn, Elementary Principal, that she has accepted a position as the new Director of Lower School at the American School of Madrid starting in August 2020. We are very happy for the Munnerlyns and will plan for opportunities toward the end of the school year for proper farewells as they embark on their next adventure.

A Search Committee has been formed under my direction and we began our work this morning preparing the position announcement for this important role. We are planning a process that will include ample opportunities for all stakeholders to be involved in helping us select the next principal for the Elementary. This will include finalist visits and opportunities to provide feedback to the committee for their deliberations. We’ll provide more details on this in January when we return from the break.

‘Tis the Season

If you have joined us last week for Band or this week for Choir, you have had a wonderful experience of music accomplishment. Our thanks to all the students performing and to the talented directors (Ms. Bechdolt & Ms. Lyons) for their amazing work!! We still have one more remaining and hope that many of you will join us for the Guitar Concert on Tuesday night at 6p in the Theater!

Also, the Arts Department will maintain its displays this week. They were a hit last night at the choir concert when they were unveiled and important that you stop in and take a look!

One Last Reminder

We are about to start reviewing candidate applications, so please be reminded that we are looking for a project manager to serve in an advanced role for the school. The position announcement is HERE. Last chance to apply for this unique role!

Since this is the season, at least on the American calendar, let me offer my earnest thanks for all your contributions to what makes a school community. Since the start of the school year, we have had scores of volunteers on campus on a daily basis helping us to embrace sports, activities, arts, social events, charitable causes, diversity, learning goals, and fellowship. We are a big family, often daunting in scope, but always rewarding in what we accomplish for the students we all serve together. Please continue to look for opportunities around the school where you can offer the gift of time and talent. Whether signing up for Career Day (<– click here!), selling a few books, or mixing a bit of Jingle Bell Run hot chocolate, we need all of you to help raise our children and support this wide range of opportunities! In the spirit of Thanksgiving and sharing the heart of a holiday, thank you for all that you contribute and thank you in advance of all that is yet to come!!

Engine Running in Parking Lot

Please be reminded that you may not run your engines anywhere in the parking lot when you are waiting for more than one minute. Running engines on school property while parked or in our “Kiss-n-Go” area is strictly prohibited. If you plan to wait in an area for an extended time, have a warm coat in case of cold weather. Running your vehicle unnecessarily and contributing to bad air quality will not be tolerated! Thank you to all who are doing such a great job following this essential rule!

Reminder: Unique Opportunity!

The school announced recently the creation of a new Project Management Role designed by the Board Advancement Committee to work under the Director and in collaboration with the Director of Communications and the Advancement Committee on projects associated with developing new projects for the school.  The role is limited to specific projects and deliverables that the successful candidate would help to define building on the committee’s initial work.  The job description and application portal is on our website HERE!

Reminder: The deadline for withdrawal from second semester with a partial refund of fees is December 15. After December 15, no refund will be possible. Details about refunds can be found on our website here: https://www.aswarsaw.org/admissions/school-fees

Zimplicity Director’s Desk Video Podcast
Zimplicity Podcast

FCD Returns

John Tummon of FCD is back at ASW with important information to share with students and parents.  We had a good group join us for the parent evening on Tuesday night, but if you think you missed your opportunity, you would be wrong!  We are back together tomorrow morning at 8:30a in the MPR for our FCD Parent Coffee.  Please come and join us.  Remember my article back on September 18?  The issue is more intense now than ever and it’s important for our community to rally and get the information needed to avoid the damage that is being done to our children if we don’t get engaged.  Please come and join us to learn.  There is power in knowledge and collaboration!

Unique Opportunity!

The school is announcing the creation of a new Project Management Role designed by the Board Advancement Committee to work under the Director and in collaboration with the Director of Communications and the Advancement Committee on projects associated with developing new projects for the school.  This would include funding for scholarships, initiation of an endowment fund, and other special projects in support of the school and its mission and vision.

The role is limited to specific projects and deliverables that the successful candidate would help to define building on the committee’s initial work.  The job description and application portal is on our website HERE!

URGENT! – PTO Still Needs Volunteers

The fun never stops and creating community requires everyone to support when the call goes out.  Please be advised that PTO needs additional volunteers for an upcoming key activity – the Annual PTO Book Fair!!

Fun for all our students and already published in prior eNotes, please click on one or both of the following links and sign-up for one or more of the open slots.

• Bookfair shifts: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080B44A9AF28A6FD0-ptobook1
• Setup shifts: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080B44A9AF28A6FD0-ptobook

Parents Needed for Upcoming Career Fair

Parents from all sectors are needed for the upcoming Career Fair on Thursday, January 30th.  We have hundreds of students who would like to hear from parents and community members about their profession and present it to our students.  We need 45 or more parents to make this a successful event.  Sign up HERE!!

Also, if you are interested in reaching out more to students and alumni from ASW, we encourage all our parents to join our alumni network.  You don’t need to be a true alumnus to join our alumni network.  As a parent of a student at ASW past or present, you may join the network at any time and potentially provide mentoring or advice to our growing community of past and present community members of ASW!  Join today by heading your browser in this direction: https://aswalumni.org/

New and Aspiring Board Member Training

It’s not too late to join us tomorrow (Thursday) night @ 6:00p in the MPR.  You can still signup HERE or just come and join us if you are able.

 

Aspiring Board Trustee Training

Mark your calendars for the first session this year of the New and Aspiring Board Member training. Like last year, I’ll be leading sessions on School and non-profit board membership. If you have an interest in a position on the ASW board, as a leader in PTO, or if you are looking to serve on other non-profit boards in the future, this training will help provide some of the key understandings associated with good governance in a non-profit setting. The content of this training has been expanded to also include insights into ASW. We’ll explore selected ASW Board documents and will give some insight into ASW structures and policy. Our first session will take place as follows:

Thursday, November 14, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the MPR

If you would like to participate, you can sign up by clicking here: https://forms.gle/PaqhCCWkc5bLQZcu6

Refund deadline

A reminder that the deadline for informing us of your departure before the start of the second semester is November 15th in order to receive a full refund of fees for the semester. For further information, please consult our details on school fees on the school website: https://www.aswarsaw.org/admissions/school-fees

Boy Scouts

Are you interested in being part of Boy Scouts here at ASW? If so, there is an interest/organizational parent meeting scheduled for Tuesday, November 12, in the MPR at 6:30p. Please come and join other interested parents to discuss our next steps.

Car and Traffic

There have been some significant traffic jams along the back road to school in recent days due to a project rebuilding the northern crossroad of Przyczolkowa and Drewny Street. This will continue through the end of November. There will be some changes to the car traffic and buses as a result. As part of the project, they are putting lights on the crossing at that location. This is actually good news in order to have a safer crossing that connects to the bike path that was recently installed.

I’ll reiterate my advice from last year that all bicycling should avoid the back road to and from school due to safety concerns. The challenge was the lack of a path on the main road that would allow safe transit to this area. That has now been resolved with the installation of a new bike path and this will continue to be improved in the weeks ahead.

Click here more info about changes in buses and changes in traffic as a result of this work.

Dear Mom & Dad,

Today was United Nations Day at school and it was so much fun!  It’s hard to figure out where to start in telling all of the stories of the day.  I tasted treats, sat in a car from India, Disco danced in Holland, had Korean noodles, Indian Samosas, Slovenian honey, Polish Perrogi, Italian sliced ham, Turkish treats.  I won a prize at the China booth when I was able to remember some of my Chinese characters.  I was very proud that I remembered Zai Jian (??).  Then, I milked a goat and later traveled the Oregon trail and got a new recipe for Snickerdoodles (but they called them something else).

But, I also got flags from a few countries, watched fabulous dances and enjoyed conversation with almost every booth.  I watched Tae Kwon Do when they broke some wooden boards and took lots of video of the Chinese and Turkish dancers.

But, there were a couple of special moments.  The students reading their poems in the assembly almost made me cry.  I did shed a tear during the music when I heard the wonderful voices of our soloists.  And, like always, I really enjoyed sharing my ideas with our “family” audience.  We were all warriors together on the day!!

I also received a special gift from the Swedish table, a wonderful volume on Dag Hammarskjold.  He was the second Secretary-General of the United Nations until the year after I was born in 1961, but I remember him dearly for two reasons.  First, I remember writing a research report about him when I was in 6th-grade while we were studying the United Nations, probably about this same time of year because I remember also celebrating countries from around the world in a very similar fashion.  Second, I remember his legacy being a significant presence at Pacific Lutheran University, my alma mater. PLU hosts the largest Scandanavian Center in the Pacific Northwest.  He has been an inspiration to me and, of course, shares a portion of my heritage since I have about 25% Swedish inside of me somewhere (along with Norwegian and Swiss).  The book presented to me today was a wonderful gift and I’ll treasure it.

We really have to thank PTO for such a great day today!  It was brilliant and all the parents really took on the challenge and made it truly special!

And a special shout out to Mr. Sidaway and the team in the Athletics and Activities office for making our assembly truly something special.  I really enjoyed watching the UN flag rise over the crowd during the procession.

I had a great day at school.  Memories will remain with me for a long time.  As I said, these memories will come back to make me a better person someday.  If I remember them, maybe I can help change the world for the better!

Sincerely,

Your Son

One other item:

The Konstancin-Jeizorna mayor has invited us all to November 11th – Polish Independence Day in the local community.  Mass and wreath-laying is in the AM, followed by an Independence Day race at noon and a picnic in the historical park. Here is the link:  https://www.facebook.com/events/2629901990573093/

First, our sincere thanks to parents who participated in Upper School parent conferences this week. It was a wonderful two days of interaction with our key partners and I observed many smiles from both parents and students as they departed following their sessions with teachers, counselors, and administrators. Many thanks to all the administrators, faculty, office staff, and support personnel who helped to make it all possible. There are many pieces to the puzzle of organizing for this and our team did a great job!

New!!

Two new items on launch this week:

Please join two new Podcasts that have been launched in recent days. First is a project I started last year, but alas it did not get enough attention. It’s back and you can join in the conversations (audio) on Zimplicity! Two episodes have been posted including some sustainability conversations in Middle School and a Leadership presentation to 5th grade in our ES Tower. Please join us:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/zimplicity/id1279277246

Second, a new video podcast with some engaging student talent to share. Modeled after the NPR favorite of many, the Tiny Desk, we are pleased to announce Zimplicity Director’s Desk! – a compilation of student talent, straight from behind the Director’s Desk at ASW. Be sure to check out the performance by the cast of West Side Story!!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/zimplicity-directors-desk/id1480817175

We hope you will subscribe and listen for regular new episodes on both of our new channels.

PTO Meeting

I’ll be joining the PTO meeting on Friday to talk about some strategic work that is beginning. You may have noticed a recent article in the Warrior News on this topic. I’m looking forward to giving general updates on all things ASW, but also engaging parents in some plans to share and work on ideas together that may spark the school’s next strategic project. Please join us to hear about UN Day and to spend some time talking about school.

LockDown Drill

We had our first Lockdown drill of the school year on Tuesday and it was very successful. Children were secure and safe in their classrooms within 5 minutes of our announcement. This is consistent with our excellent evacuation drill times where we demonstrated an ability to clear the building and confirm all present in under 7 minutes.

We also tested our SMS Emergency Notification System (ENS). An ENS message was sent to all parents, staff, and administration during the drill, along with a link to help you give us feedback. Click HERE to fill out that survey and let us know if you did NOT receive our message and/or to provide feedback on our system. Thanks to all the staff and students who did such a wonderful job preparing for and executing our drill.

One item that was an issue. We had a couple of parents in the hallway at the time of the drill and they were successfully gathered into the room with the children. But, we noted that this parent was not wearing their badge. It reminded us of an important point. While we are a bit flexible during normal operation (this one was left in a car), we need to stress to all parents that wearing your badge at all times while on campus is critically important, and particularly so when we have drills or emergency actions. Being able to identify the adults during an emergency is one of the main reasons we require the parent badge. Thank you to all who are doing a wonderful job of following this important rule!!

Evacuation on Tuesday

We had an inadvertent evacuation shortly after our lockdown drill on Tuesday that was the result of the action of a Middle School student pressing a hallway alarm. We have taken disciplinary action in regard to this incident including other students who were identified as encouraging and helping to plan the behavior. We need to stress that a false alarm of this nature is a serious offense and we will be reminding students that this kind of action could also result in referral to law enforcement. If the fire department had responded to the event, harsher penalties would have been likely. Please help us remind students that false reporting may put others at risk and we all want to be as safe and secure as possible.

I’m heading off to CEESA Heads of School meeting this afternoon after completing this article and wanted to let you know about our connection to this organization. I realized that it has been a while since I’ve talked about our regional group and the importance of their work in supporting international schools of our nature in a variety of activities.

First, CEESA is primarily an organization of collaboration. Schools find it difficult on their own in foreign countries to provide professional development and school support activities without connecting with other like-minded schools to share costs from bringing key thinkers and opportunities for teachers and administrators into our midst. This includes weekend training workshops, job-a-like sessions, and ultimately the annual conference where more than 500 participants join training on dozens of topics. Last year, ASW hosted the CEESA Conference and it was well attended by teachers and administrators from throughout the region.

By the way, the region is the Central and Eastern European Schools Association, so the countries involved are largely and relatively central and east of Prague. The organization’s members can be found HERE. There are other regional associations around the world. I started my leadership journey in the EARCOS (East Asia Regional Council of Schools) region, for example.

CEESA also supports our pursuits in Athletics and Activities for Upper School (6-12). They have organized and developed these programs over a number of years that provide robust opportunities for student travel along with highly competitive interscholastic competitions. Recently, the Activities Directors and Athletics Directors met for their annual Fall meeting and more than 40 people collaborated on the many layers of bylaws, rules, procedures, and calendars that are now managed. Schools throughout CEESA, like us, are planning for both their away and hosted events that form a robust calendar and a significant management challenge. Like the heads of school, they implement policies on child protection, travel risk management, and safety initiatives to assure all students have a positive and culturally rich experience.

So, this weekend, I’ll be in Istanbul with the other heads of school discussing important topics that offer real benefit and a wide range of services to our school. In a future newsletter, I’ll share some notes on our outcomes to give you a better sense of our ongoing work.

A couple of safety notes:

• Please walk your children across our roads using crosswalks only. If you teach your child that it is OK to cut across the road in front of traffic, they are more likely to do so when they are on their own and could get hurt. The speedbumps are NOT crosswalks. Crosswalks are visibly marked stripes and we have crossing guards at the main ones during morning and afternoon hours.
• Do not drive over curbs to park. The areas protected by curbs not meant to be used and offer a line of sight to avoid pedestrians not being visible to moving traffic. These areas are not marked for parking and there may also be vulnerable equipment in these areas that we are trying to protect. Please park only in designated parking spaces. My thanks to the parents who are trying to do their best to park carefully between the lines to maximize our parking.

I tried to think about how to start this article and how I could communicate my concern about an issue that has growing attention swirling around it. I thought of all the data points and all the politically correct messages that might somehow increase the focus on this for all of us to consider. I want to elicit partnership while being sensitive to our diverse population. I want us all to understand the implications and urgency of the matter and, most importantly, we all want to protect our children. And, I know this is not the only topic where we have to have conversations. There are probably a dozen other things that some may find equally urgent. But, I need to share this message now because the frustration surrounding it is beginning to grow beyond our bounds of understanding. Ready for the message? Here it is:

Vaping is killing our children!

To be quite blunt about it, there is no need to further investigate or explore due diligence on this topic. The smoking and vaping industry is delivering messages to our youngest minds that vaping is somehow safer than cigarettes. That is a lie. They are trying to develop a mythology that no one gets hurt by using these flavored products. That is a lie. They place their products at children’s eye level despite unenforced laws that are supposed to limit their access. More lies and manipulation. There is nothing redeeming about a company that is stating they are not selling to children when in fact they craft their advertisements to specifically target the youngest, most vulnerable demographic.

Without the lies, it is quite simple. Your lungs are not biologically engineered to absorb heated chemicals. They are delicate organs that must only breathe clean air. We can’t complain about air quality in one arena and then allow smoking and vaping to grow and spread before our very eyes. We learned from our FCD visitors last year that any vaping product was putting upwards of 100 chemicals into the lungs between the preservatives, coloring agents, and active ingredients along with the chemicals created during the heating process across the metals involved. This is not for your lungs. Never will be. There is no safe way to breathe things into your body.

My nephew just celebrated the one year anniversary of a double lung transplant. His issue was not related to vaping, but instead was an outgrowth of a childhood virus that caused damage that could not be repaired. But, it is a lesson in the delicate nature of the lungs and the importance of taking care of them. My nephew was lucky that a donor was found and his strength of character is now carrying him forward through life despite the constant fear of rejection associated with this gift. How, in the face of his strength, can we allow kids to have access to these things that are an assault on their fragile and growing bodies? How can we allow them to take a risk with their lives that is now proving so deadly that many states in the U.S. are outright banning these products?

Our policy at ASW is quite clear. We do not allow these products or substances on our campus. We have rules that speak to this and we will take all necessary disciplinary action up to and including expulsion when students choose to break these rules. With my message to staff today, we will continue to aggressively address this issue on a curricular and supervision basis. But, we can’t do this without your help. We need parents to reinforce this message at home with all ages. This has to stop! Smoking and Vaping must end. To any parent out there who is still smoking, please be a model for your children. Find your solution and protect their future. If you need help, reach out to us. We’ll find ways to assist, whether parent or child. Let’s all adopt the same understanding. There is nothing right or acceptable about smoking in ANY form! I hope you will join me in that belief and send that clear message to all who will listen.

Over the weekend, our Board of Trustees met for their start of year retreat and have begun work to craft their goals for the year and set up their committees. Similarly, the regular schedule of meetings for the year has all been entered into the calendar so that we carve out the time when teams will work collaboratively to achieve the goals of the school. While teachers fill their classrooms with learning and engagement, the leaders throughout the school are already starting to consider some of the focus areas for reflection this year, with an eye toward planning next year as well. With Mission and Vision as our backdrop, we will look forward to opportunities to gather with parents and other stakeholders to architect that path forward. Our theme this year, with a focus on strategic design efforts that are almost upon us, is “taking our next steps toward our future.” Finding the right steps and placing our investment into the right projects will be a focus of our attention in the coming months.

Meanwhile, we had a wonderful gathering last Saturday night that was truly empowering for all of us in attendance. The goodwill throughout the room was amazing and our thanks go out to PTO for their efforts in making this a truly special event. Our thanks also to the staff and leadership at the Mariott and Champions. They did a spectacular job and we appreciate their service and attention! Now it is BBQ time and the efforts this week have been ramping up significantly as the last bows are being tied and baskets prepared for the annual auction. Come and put lots of tickets into every basket knowing that each ticket is supporting a wide array of activities and events throughout the school year. Please plan on joining us on Saturday no matter what the weather brings. We are prepared this year with quick transition plans to make sure the day is a success no matter what the sun and clouds decide. See below for details.