Dear AISZ Families
Counseling at AISZ takes a three-pronged approach in that not only is emotional support available to students but also to the caretakers of children, the parents and the teachers. The philosophy behind the counseling of students at AISZ is that the emotional needs of children go hand in hand with academic needs. In other words, if students are distracted by an emotional concern it will be difficult to focus their energy and attention on the academic task at hand in the classroom.
The role of the AISZ Counsellor is to provide social and emotional counseling to both Lower and Upper School students. This can be initiated through student request, teacher request, and parental request or via the counselors’ observations. Clear procedures are implemented to ensure that communication occurs between appropriate parties.
AISZ feels that it is important to have available an adult who is viewed as safe and trustworthy by students so that they can talk through troubling issues of concern. Being able to express their worries often allows them to return to the classroom with a greater degree of emotional balance which enables them to work more enthusiastically in the academic realm. It is important to be aware that young people from the ages of 11 to 18 are experiencing profound physical and psychological changes as they move through puberty and into early adulthood. Because of these changes, issues that may seem trivial to an adult take on huge proportions in the mind of an adolescent.
Primary care is provided by teachers and the counsellor supports the teachers by meeting with the student at any time via teacher, student or parent request.
I am here to help students be successful. I look forward to working with your children and getting to know them throughout the school year. If you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to contact me via email.
Sincerely,
Andrea Diamant
-----
Presentations:
In the Lower School all children whose mother tongue is not English are tested upon entry to AISZ. The language assessments help to determine the appropriate placement in the EAL program and classroom. On-going assessments are used to determine the language support needed to help children access grade-level content, as well as when their English language proficiency is adequate for exiting the EAL program.
Our teachers are highly qualified educators, representing 9 nationalities with experience ranging from 2 to over 30 years, bringing with them contemporary knowledge and pedagogical insights from international and local schools. By offering a well rounded US influenced international curriculum we provide our students with opportunities to develop their passions, inquire into areas of interest for them, to ask deep and meaningful questions and strive to find solutions to them.
