From the Elementary Principal
Our earth, though imperfect, is quite breathtaking. Sometimes, upon seeing a blazing red sunset or glorious mountain view, I must pause and simply say, “Wow!” One way our God shows us his majesty and beauty is through the wonder of his creation. Do you ever have moments when you have to step back and say, “wow”? At BAIS, we certainly do. In the classroom, we are taken aback by what our students show us, often causing us to stop and simply say, “Wow!”
As we move into the third week of our school year, even from so far away, I am reminded of how resilient our students truly are. None of this is easy for anyone, but our awesome students are doing incredibly well. Just like our students, our teachers dearly miss face-to-face classes. We’re all thankful, however, for the way technology is being utilized to partially bridge the distance. It has been a pleasure to observe our online video sessions with students and teachers these past two weeks. Students are digging into the content, asking important questions, and making key connections.
This past week in elementary, we have reintroduced steady language classes, gotten into more of a routine of successfully turning in assigned work, and streamlined our digital connectivity. Several of our teachers have sent home surveys, specific to their classrooms. Surveys such as these provide us with much-needed feedback and are extremely important for us as we tackle new challenges with schooling at a distance. Alongside our teachers, Mr. Thomas and I will continue to monitor student workloads as a means to ensure students are receiving the fullest version of our program that we can effectively offer here at BAIS. I am thoroughly impressed by how our elementary teachers have successfully launched their classrooms this year!
In closing, please enjoy these paraphrased “Wow!” moments shared by a few of our elementary teachers:
“ELD students building English knowledge by playing detectives and seeking out shapes and colors in their homes”
“Students have made huge gains in the 4th quarter and this summer on their RTI goals!”
“Wow! Our first-graders are following directions so well via video! They really are rocking it! The positive parent support is also amazing.”
“Hearing kids sing worship songs behind my shared screen”
“I am continually impressed by our students’ willingness to help each other!”
BAIS Teachers
Fully alive,
Neil Cantrall, M. Ed.
Elementary Principal
Elementary Program Reminders
Please pick up work packets on Mondays after 8:00am. These packets contain work for Tuesday through the next Monday. • Attendance will be taken by your child’s classroom and language teachers. Please help your child arrive on time for each meeting.
Total estimated daily work time for elementary students (including ELD/foreign languages):
- PK3/PK4 – (+/-) 45 – 60 minutes
- K-2 – (+/-) 2 hours
- 3-5 – (+/-) 4-5 hours
Counselor Department
Dear BAIS Community,
I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Hayley Martin, and I am the new school counselor at BAIS! I am thrilled to begin working within this fantastic community. I am currently residing in Houston, Texas while I eagerly await my visa and travel approval.
Growing up, I attended an international school in Quito, Ecuador for eight years, and I am excited to get back into the international school setting! I have also traveled to many countries around the world, and love learning about new cultures and meeting new people. I received my Masters degree in Clinical Psychology from Wheaton College, and have experience working as a counselor and case manager for children and teens. My most recent job in Houston has been working for a Church to support women and children at risk within my community and around the world.
With my experience as a student at an international school, I understand the challenges and joys that can come with it and hope to relate to the students on a deeper level because of this. My hope and prayer as the BAIS school counselor is to support every student to be comfortable in their own skin, realize their unique strengths, and reach their full potential as valuable human beings both in and outside of the classroom. This will be done through excellent teamwork, research-based strategies, and building trusting relationships. I cannot wait to be there in person to experience all the beauty and talent that the BAIS community has to offer!
In the meantime, I know that COVID-19 brings extra challenges, frustrations, and fears. Everyday tasks may take more effort than they used to, and you may feel more overwhelmed and drained at the end of the day than you ever used to. Take heart — these are very normal reactions to a very abnormal situation! It’s important to pay attention to our bodies and our minds and take extra care of them! Keep in mind that our bodies and minds are vitally connected, so staying physically active, eating a well-balanced diet, getting vitamin D (sunshine!), and drinking plenty of water are important for our mental/emotional well-being as well as our physical well-being. Below are just a few extra resources that parents can use with students at home.
- Mind Yeti: mindfulness videos for younger children to feel calm and relieve anxiety
- Alphabet of Coping Skills: there are endless positive ways to cope with difficult feelings!
- Self Care packet for Teens: help teens organize the various ways they can practice self-care
Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or concerns. May we all feel the energy and endurance to be FULLY ALIVE as we tackle this new school year together!
With Hope,
Hayley Martin
School Counselor
hayleymartin@baisedu.org
From the Guidance Counseling Office
Seniors & Parents Info Session
Friday, September 11, 2020, 3.30PM – 4.30PM MPR or via Google Meets
I would like to invite all seniors and their parents to this optional meeting where we will discuss:
- University updates
- Application deadlines
- Requesting official documents
- College/University admissions timeline
- SAT/ACT testing updates
Please RSVP with Ms. Hall by Thursday, September 10th so that I can have documents pertaining to your senior either printed for you to look over or in PDF form to send.
Drama Rehearsal Announcement
Wednesday, September 9 at 4:30 PM
Scenes 2 & 3: pgs. 39-55
Song: “Opening” & “Toot Sweets”
Performers: Grandpa, Lord Scrumptious, Miss Phillips, Potts, Truly, Jemma, Jemima
Online: Full Ensemble for “Opening” and then Secondary (Grades 6-12) Ladies for “Toot Sweets”
If you are joining us online, the Google Meet link is hyperlinked to the song titles. Everyone needs to practice their songs before practice next week. You should have the lyrics and melody memorized. The “Opening” is very fast and the words are very tricky. You will need to speak the lines over and over and over again in order to learn them. Start off slow, then get faster and faster. You HAVE to speak them clearly even when saying them quickly. You can practice singing them to yourself slowly and then get faster and faster until you can sing them with the backing track. Test your readiness by singing the song for your parents. Ask them if they can understand the words you are singing. If they can’t, keep working on enunciation. You can’t slow down. You have to keep practicing until you can say and sing all those words at the speed of the song. You can do it.
Dear parents,
Please send a copy of your updated passport and KITAS to BAIS. As you know every student at BAIS who is not an Indonesia citizen must present a valid KITAS and passport copy (students and parents). You may send the documents through email or deliver the copy to the front office.
Thank you,
BAIS Office
