Latest News - Asker International School

First Fire Drill of the year

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firedrill

Dear parents,

Today at 09:15 we had our first fire drill. The children, as always, did a very good job at exiting the building. They lined up in single file and exited quietly and in order, following the instruction of their teacher.

It did however take too long. It took 5 minutes and we largely believe this was due to exiting in single file down the stairwell. What we will practice the next time is the efficacy of exiting the building in parallel. I would ideally like the timing to be around 2:30-3:00 minutes.

Ultimately, we were very happy with the performance of both staff and students and most importantly the students know what to do in the event of the fire alarm ringing.

Please commend your child when they come home on a job well done.

First day at School

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The first day of school transitioned quite smoothly, considering there were so many new variables. We had to make some changes during the day, however we feel the children had a good first day, which was our main objective.

We had to make some minor adjustments to the timetable. No change to the start or end of day, however we changed the morning break and extended the lunch break. We did this in an effort to prevent any overlap on the playground - and it went well. The new revised timetable is available on the school webpage - (when on the webpage, click the icon on the top left of the timetable to switch viewing options).

End of school went quite well also and I would like to thank you all for adhering to the new traffic regulations as stipulated by the municipality. We would gladly have parents gathered inside awaiting their children, however this is not practical for 100+ people. So please adhere to this new system. I believe it is safe and pragmatic. On this note, please remember two points:

Collect your child on the left-hand-side of the fence (looking down toward the school entrance) - the right-hand corridor may have a lot of traffic and it is hard to keep an overview of the children.
Walk in the marked areas on the left or right-hand-side (if we all embrace this routine, then the children will follow our example -some take the bus and some walk home. If they see adults walking anywhere they will follow our example). Equally please remind children to take care if you see them crossing the road anywhere in an unsafe manner.

The only time period we are not sure about is the morning period, as we usually go outside from 08:30-08.45. While we are observing the flow of people and deciding what works best this first week, please pay attention for any signs on the front door indicating any update in procedure on any given day this week.

Thank you in advance for your support

Rainy days

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rainy day

We have some rain expected over the next few days. With that in mind please ensure your child has appropriate rain gear. Umbrellas are not allowed on the playground, as I'm sure you can imagine the potential problem with over 100 umbrellas running around!

Thanks in advance!

First day back - what to know!

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Dear parents,

A big welcome back to you and your children to Asker International School. We are very excited about this, our second year and hope you are all too.

The building has been in a major state of transition and as such we had to strip down and restructure all the classrooms and the school these last few weeks. This has caused a delay in information being communicated and the manner in which it is communicated. I apologise for this.

Our main priority has been ensuring that our classes and teachers are, as much as possible, ready for the first day.

We would normally have a larger affair and a whole school assembly on the first day, however there will be too many people and too many variables to make this a good idea in the first week. As specified below, we will have a parent meeting in the second week once we have had an opportunity to revise procedures and ensure they are at their optimal.

In this interim period, please consult our webpage for the information you need and if anything is not clear please let us know.

Please ensure the following information is clear to you and anyone else in your family who needs access to this information.

Thank you in advance for your support, your patience and your continued enthusiasm. I hope you will help us make our second year even more successful than our first.

First day, Monday 18^th August 2014

Please read the following information very carefully

Doors open from: 07:30

Doors close: 17:00

Teaching starts at: 08:50

Teaching ends: 15:30 – COLLECTION TIME

Ideally, students are present 10 minutes before teaching start time.

Collection point: Fence located in the playground area separating traffic and pedestrians (information provided separately).

Normal classes will take place from the first day - The first two lessons are with the class teacher and will cover important information like class rules, timetables, other expectations.

We would normally have a welcome assembly, however there are many new routines and people in the building so we will not have this event this year.

Parent evening – There will be a parent information evening in the second week, not the first week. This is because there are many new procedures and people. We need a week to ensure routines are working before we communicate further to the parents.

Children are to come directly upstairs in the morning. We will not be going out in the morning. We will not be lining up outside on the first day.

A normal lunch is to be provided by the parents. We ask parents to pack a healthy lunch. Sweets and treats are only to be provided on special events such as birthdays and other school/class celebrations.

Forms will be sent out to parents during the first week, however please notify us by mail if your child has an allergy.

Please notify if your child is allowed to travel home alone.

Written consent from parents must be provided for children cycling to school from below grade 4.

Yours sincerely,

Robert Browne,

Principal

ASKER International School