“The true purpose of education is to make minds not careers.”
-William Deresiewicz
Yes! It is that time of the year again- the beginning of the school year! It is August in Accra, the weather has been cool and the traffic has been placid, but this is about to change--The new school year at ARIS kicked off this week on Monday as parents of continuing students came in to pick up their school IDs, and parents of new students came in to finalize admission and pick up uniforms and other essentials.
The beginning of the week also included ARIS’s Early Years and Primary teachers undergoing training on the digital learning journal ‘Seesaw’ which is a platform that empowers students to independently document their learning with built-in creative tools, and provides an authentic audience for their work. It also gives families an immediate and personalized window into their child’s school day, and makes communication with teachers seamless. We are really excited to document more real time learning with this application as school begins!
Staff and faculty members had been present at both schools (primary and secondary), preparing to welcome the students and classrooms boasted a vibrant, colorful and welcoming vibe with “Welcome back” decorated doors, and new toys and equipment.
Wednesday morning was filled with eager and energetic kids at both of ARIS’s campuses—while the new toddlers at reception cried and hung on to their mothers, the older teenagers at year 7 asked their parents to leave so that they could catch up with their friends before classes begun.
The Primary School begun their first day of school with an hour long orientation session, where the PYP Coordinator, Madam Sandeepa, welcomed the students and played fun, interesting games with them in an effort to revive their school spirit. When asked to complete the sentence “I love ARIS because..”, some of the responses were “I love ARIS because it has taught me to become a good communicator” “I love ARIS because it is like coming home while being away from home” “I love ARIS because I learn new things everyday”. The Primary years’ first assembly ended with fun, happiness and excitement, as they all danced to African beats.
At secondary, the first day of school begun with the year 7’s adjusting to the new middle school programme and environment- their positive energy was so invigorating, that it was contagious. The other students settled into their new classes and a welcome orientation was held at lunch time, which was followed by a general orientation for new parents and members of the community.
As a school that purposefully collaborates with parents continuously and encourages the principles of good communication and international mindedness, the ARIS team did their best to answer all pressing questions and make the new parents fill at home, no matter where they came from. The end of the first day of school landed with exhausted and happy kids at both campuses. Since then, the hustle and bustle at both schools has been consistent, as students settle in get to know their new peers and familiarize with their new classes.
We look forward to the PYP parent orientation focused on the Primary Years Programme which will be held on the Primary Campus on Saturday 12th August 2017, from 9:00 am to 10:30 am. The orientation is for parents of Reception and Years 1-6.
Welcome back to school and we cannot wait to have yet another exciting & fun-filled year with you all!
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