Issue #8: October 2, 2025

Home

MS Updates

HS Highlights

PTG

Calendars

Main Contacts

From the Principal

Ms. Michelle Alzamora

We have now moved into Week 3 of our Wellbeing Focus. Over the past couple of weeks, we have shared ideas about sleep and nutrition, and we hope these newsletters have been helpful to your family. This week we turn to the final two areas of focus: movement and downtime. Together, they help children find balance in their busy days.

Children need both active play and quiet moments to thrive. Movement helps them build strong bodies, release energy, and improve focus. Downtime gives their brains the chance to rest, process new learning, and spark creativity. When children have opportunities for both, they are better able to learn, regulate emotions, and enjoy their day.

Family Tips for Daily Balance

Aim for 60 minutes of movement: The CDC recommends children get at least an hour of physical activity each day. This might include biking, playing soccer, dancing, or joining you on a walk.
Mix it up: Try a balance of structured activities such as sports or lessons and unstructured active play like running outside, climbing, or free play with friends.
Protect downtime: Build in quiet, screen-free moments for drawing, reading, or simply daydreaming. These pauses help children recharge.
Encourage creativity: Keep simple materials on hand such as paper, pencils, blocks, or recycled items for open-ended play.
Model balance: Show your child how you move your body and also take time to rest. Children notice how adults create balance.

By supporting both movement and downtime, families can help children grow stronger, healthier, and more resilient. Together, these habits create the balance kids need to learn and flourish at school and at home.

Warmly,
The ES Admin Team

Goal Setting Parent Teacher Conferences

We look forward to our student goal-setting conferences on October 16th. These conferences bring together parents, teachers, and students to identify learning and social goals for the year. Student participation is essential, as it helps them understand what they are working toward and how we can all support them. Be sure to sign up to attend! We look forward to partnering with you in this important process.

We invite you to participate in the Fall 2025 Parent-Teacher Conferences on October 16. There are no classes for students on this date.

** Please understand that the PowerSchool sign-up process applies only to Elementary homeroom, Learning Support, Counselor, and Arabic conferences.

ES Information

Our Fall Conferences are student goal setting conferences. ES Students are expected to attend conferences with their parents.
For Conference Manager support please contact Ms. Farhan
For PowerSchool support please contact Ms. Khuloud
Conferences with elementary classroom teachers, elementary counselors, elementary learning support teachers and Arabic teachers are by appointment only; parents/guardians must book through the Conference Manager which opens for sign-ups on Saturday, September 27th at 12:00 pm and closes on Sunday, October 12th at 3:00 pm. Click here for instructions.
Ms. Rita Madi (Music for G1, G2, G3 and G5) and Ms. Dana Kayyali (Art for EYP, K, G1, G3 and G5) look forward to meeting with you. They will be available to speak with children and their parents in their classrooms for walk-in conferences.
Ms. Heba Khoury (Art for G2 and G4) will be available to meet with you in The Sting Zone for walk-in conferences.
The PE teachers will be available to meet with you in the ES LC breakout rooms for walk-in conferences.
Ms. Lindsey Cayer (Music for EYP, K and G4) will not be available to meet with parents, please contact her for more information.
All teachers have scheduled breaks. The specialist teachers’ breaks are when classroom teachers are meeting with families. To help you plan your time effectively, please note the following break times:

Morning Break:

PE Teachers 9:20 - 9:50
Art and Music Teachers Break 10:00 - 10:30
Arabic Teachers 9:20 - 9:40 and 11:40 - 12:00
HR Teachers, SS Teachers and Counselors 9:00 - 9:20 and 11:20 - 11:40

Lunch Break:

PE Teachers 1:30 - 2:15
Art and Music Teachers 1:00 - 1:45
Arabic Teachers 2:00 - 2:40
HR Teachers, SS Teachers and Counselors 1:20 - 2:00

Afternoon Break:

PE Teachers 4:00 - 4:30
Art and Music Teachers 3:30 - 4:00
Arabic Teachers 3:40 - 4:00
HR Teachers, LS Teachers and Counselors 3:00 - 3:20 and 4:40 - 5:00

Day of Play - October 9

Our ES Student Council Day of Play Committee has been working hard to organize a fun experience for their fellow students! On Oct 9 all students will get to come out to the field for an awesome hour of play. The student council would like to extend a BIG thank you to the PTG for sponsoring a bouncy castle for the day. Please note that we will not have water-related activities, but if it is very hot we will spray students who want to get wet with a hose.

On the Day of Play, students need to have tennis shoes, a water bottle, a hat, and sunscreen.

Day of Play Schedule -

KG-1 - 8:15 - 9:00
2-3 - 9:10 - 10:00
EYP - 10:10 - 10:40
4-5 11:00 - 12:00

Messages for Peace

Next Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday there will be a table set up at recesses where students can write messages of hope and peace for all children. These messages will be displayed for all of our school community.

Grade 5 Stray Impressions Auction

The Grade 5 Stray Impressions auction is now live! Students created expressive cat artworks inspired by artist & illustrator Emma Carlisle, while also supporting The Basboos Project, a local initiative that helps care for stray cats through TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return). Proceeds from the auction will go directly to Basboos as well as Al Rahmeh Association for Animals.

Auction is open now and closes on October 27 at 4:00 PM!

Please visit the auction site to view the artwork and place your bids.

The artwork is currently displayed in the atrium and will be available for viewing during Parent-Teacher Conferences.

Your support empowers our students as young artists and changemakers, while helping to improve the lives of vulnerable animals.

From the Counseling Department

Welcome to all our new students and families!
It has been a joy getting to know your children over these first two weeks of school and to see them settling into their new spaces and building connections.

We’d also love to share with you a video that was shown at our Back to School Morning Meeting. In it, last year’s leaving students offer words of wisdom and advice for our newest scorpions... and there’s even a special cameo from our beloved ES mascot, Wadi! This video gives you a glimpse of the spirit of ACS, and we hope that before long, your family will feel right at home here too.

Wadi - Back to School Video

From the ES Learning Commons

Grade 2 students are exploring the work of author Ryan T. Higgins through his book Norman Didn’t Do It! They are focusing on important story elements—characters, setting, and plot—to deepen their understanding of how stories are built.