MS Weekly Bulletin | October 2, 2020
Posted 02/10/2020 02:00PM

 

Science can amuse and fascinate us all, but it is engineering that changes the world.


– Isaac Asimov

Upcoming Events

Friday, October 9–Saturday, October 10 Parent-Teacher Conferences • MS classes finish at 12:05 on Friday
Monday, October 12 All-school: No classes
Wednesday, October 14 MS Virtual Parent Coffee • 8:30
Thursday–Saturday, October 29–31 MS Academic Travel (optional)
Friday, November 27 All-school: no classes
Please refer to tasis.ch/calendar for a more detailed look at upcoming events.

A Message from the TPA: September Recap 

Dear Parent,

What a great start to the academic year for the TPA! September was all about back to school and getting reacquainted! We had a busy first week of settling ourselves in from the summer break and preparing our children to go back to school. Between Orientation Week and the Covid testing rush, we survived! We should all be proud of ourselves for navigating through this “new normal”! A big applause to those who volunteered their time to the TPA Used Uniform Sale and Orientation Welcome table. Our fundraising was a record-breaking success!

Then it was time to catch up with other class parents over our section “Coffee and Conversation” meetings. We were lucky to have amazing weather and a super venue provided by the Principe Leopoldo, which has become our de facto TASIS meeting point! We met many new families and got to hear from all sections of this year’s PSC team. A special mention is due to the Elementary School, which filled all its room parent positions in record time—half of them with new moms and with even a male entry!

We then all finally came together for the TPA’s annual Welcome Lunch! Traditionally hosted at Casa Fleming, again we switched gears to accommodate our “new normal.” Parents from all sections gathered over a delicious lunch on the sunny garden terrace of Villa Castagnola. The TPA offered half of the lunch, including beverages and wine. We were completely oversubscribed with 55 guests, and the event was just buzzing with high energy and laughter...what a fabulous atmosphere!

And we did not stop there. Classical music lovers met up at the Palace Cafe for cocktails before watching maestro Valery Gergiev perform with the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra at the LAC. What fun to bump into TASIS teachers and faculty!

We concluded the month by hosting “The Road to College” panel luncheon with College Counseling. Middle School and High School parents met the new Director of College Counseling along with her colleagues. They were fabulously comprehensive about the process, and we look forward to having them work with our students. If you were unable to attend the event and would like to see a recording, please send an email to college@tasis.ch.

September was indeed a buzzing month! A huge thank you to all the volunteers who helped at the events—every little bit of time given is noted and appreciated! And I especially thank all the new parents who have jumped right in to volunteer and participate.

We shall be planning fall/winter events now, so please contact your section coordinators with your ideas….and volunteer! For those of you who would like to be included in a parent chat group (organized by grade or class), please email tpa@tasis.ch with your WhatsApp number and your child's grade. This is a wonderful way to stay in touch with other parents in your child’s grade.

Please continue to read the bulletin so that you are always updated on TASIS news and events, and we hope you will also follow us on Instagram: @tasis_tpa_lugano.

Warm regards,

Jennifer Zanarini
TPA President

Academics

Interim Grades: Interim grades will be available in Veracross on Monday, October 5, at 17:00. Students will receive an effort grade for every class. You can find the effort rubric on page 12 of the Middle School Student Handbook. A comment will be included for any student who receives a 1 or 2 or is demonstrating academic struggles. Teachers may also add comments if they have any specific messages to communicate at this time.

Homework Policy: We are aware of concerns about the amount of homework that the eight-period schedule is creating. In an effort to help balance the workload for students, we have implemented the following No Homework Days. On the days listed below, no homework will be given in the subjects mentioned.

MAP Testing: Next week we will be finishing makeups for MAP testing. Results will be sent by mail in mid-October.

TASIS Curriculum Map Available on Rubicon Atlas 

TASIS believes in a specific, coherent, and knowledge-rich curriculum as the best preparation for success in the 21st Century and a meaningful, engaged life at home and around the world.

All three divisions at TASIS use a web-based curriculum management tool called Rubicon Atlas. The TASIS Curriculum Map is available to parents and can be accessed with the following link and password:

Once you have logged in, hover over “Browse” in the top-left corner and then select “Unit Calendars.” You can then use the filters on the left to search by school division, grade, or subject in order to find the courses of interest to you.

A curriculum map is a tool for organizing expectations for what students should know and be able to do in each subject each year, and our public site allows you to see an overview of the curriculum at each grade level and subject area. We constantly strive to improve and refine our maps, which we hope you will regard as valuable tools for understanding what our students are learning. Please also know that these maps are merely outlines and are not intended to fully capture the rich, multi-dimensional classroom experience offered at TASIS.

Our curriculum maps contain the following information:

The link and password for Rubicon Atlas can also be found at any time in the Parent Portal. If you have any questions about the TASIS Curriculum Map, please direct them to your child’s teacher or PK–12 Curriculum Coordinator Tony Shelley.

Advisor Meetings This Week and Next Week

During the advisor blocks this week, the Service Learning leaders presented virtually about their groups to students by grade level: 

On Tuesday, October 13, students will review the Service Learning options and designate their top three choices. Please note that some students may be assigned to their second or third option. Lists of groups will be posted in Belvedere by Friday, October 16. 

Student Council Elections
Next week’s advisor blocks will be dedicated to the speeches of the Student Council candidates. The candidates will give speeches in the Palmer Center, and the advisor groups will watch them live via Zoom. The elections for President and Vice President of the Student Council will be held on Tuesday, October 13. All MS students are expected to vote.

Parent-Teacher Conferences Next Weekend

This is a reminder that parent-teacher conferences will take place over Zoom on Friday, October 9, and Saturday, October 10. If you have not had a chance to sign up for appointments with your child’s teachers yet, you can do so by logging into the Veracross Parent Portal and following these instructions. Teachers will directly send you Zoom links for each conference you register for.

Please note that the registration module will close at the end of Thursday, October 8. Please contact veracross@tasis.ch if you have any trouble signing up for conferences or Family Weekend Coordinator Eleonora Pinton if you have any other questions.

Please also note that classes for the Middle School will conclude at 12:05 on Friday, October 9. Day students will be dismissed at that point and should not plan on eating lunch on campus that day. They must depart campus by 12:20. 

Shuttle Schedule Next Friday

This is a reminder that the MS/HS shuttle service schedule has been adjusted for Friday, October 9, in order to accommodate the start of parent-teacher conferences. Please note the following:

MS Virtual Parent Coffee on October 14

The first MS Virtual Parent Coffee will be held on Wednesday, October 14, from 8:30 to 9:30 and will be led by Director of School Counseling Mary Cate Hauenstein. These are challenging times, and many students and parents are experiencing higher levels of stress. Ms. Hauenstein will discuss stress management and provide information about mental wellness. This will be a nice opportunity to reconnect with the community and offer each other support. 

We will share details about how to join the Zoom meeting in next week’s bulletin.

Film Project for Introduction to MS Academic English Class 

Our Middle School Film Program is part of the MS Academic English curriculum. Ms. Guarnieri Rosso’s students in the Introduction to MS Academic English class are required to follow this program outside of regular academic hours. This project has been designed to provide students the opportunity to learn English through the analysis of film while being guided by expert faculty. We have planned activities related to the three films using iPads, group work, discussions, and games. These activities will help students understand the underlying linguistic and cultural messages in the films and improve their English. Students must attend the following film sessions this year:

Road to College Event a Big Success

Thank you very much to the TPA for organizing Tuesday’s Road to College luncheon at Villa Principe Leopoldo and to the more than 40 parents who attended this excellent event! Our college counselors very much enjoyed meeting all the parents who attended and were impressed with the quality of questions asked over the course of the two-hour lunch. They look forward to connecting with more parents at future events!