Dear ACS Families,
Today, I'd like to update you on a few items. First, we received the water test back for our Lower School buildings, and I've linked the results here. There are no traces in the four categories of bacteria that are tested for. There is a delay in the results for the middle and high school buildings, and I will send those as soon as we receive them.
Second, we've reviewed the food safety standards and protocols with Gourmet Royale, our school caterer. Gourmet Royale has contacted Rentokil/Boecker, a leader in food safety guidelines and certifications, to arrange for a third-party food safety auditor to audit our food operation. In the meantime, Gourmet Royale has pledged to ensure that all their employees are following the extensive food safety guidelines.
Third, Gourmet Royale is also preparing a survey for parents and students to complete. Together with the creation of a suggestion box, this will help Gourmet Royale continue to improve and modify their food program to best meet the needs of our students and families.
On a different note, I want to let you know that over the next three weeks students in grades 3 through 10 will take their first MAP Growth Test from NWEA. We give MAP growth tests in the fall and in the spring to determine their instructional level and to measure academic growth in Reading, Language Arts, and Mathematics. MAP Growth tests are unique in that they adapt to your child's level of learning. Since MAP Growth tests provide immediate and accurate information about your child's learning, it is easy for teachers to identify students who may have gaps in their learning and then plan instruction accordingly. MAP scores also give us a sense of how we are doing as a school relative to other international schools.
Finally, we were supposed to have our first professional development day for faculty and staff on Monday, October 10. Because of the announced holiday on that day, we moved the professional development day to Friday, November 18. This is the Friday that precedes our November break. We will not have classes on this day. We need this professional development day to do required curriculum work as part of our re-accreditation process. I will try to find a way to restore this day later in the year.
Sincerely,