Dear TIS community,

There are currently no active cases of COVID in the TIS community. Transmission rates in the city are also extremely low with only 5 official cases reported by the Ministry of Health on March 7. This is the lowest total in the past 12 months.  

Although TIS is over 4000 kilometers away from Kiev, the conflict in Ukraine has caused uneasiness in our school community. As an International Baccalaureate World School, we are challenged to create a better and more peaceful world by acting both locally and globally. Many students and faculty are aiding humanitarian efforts to help alleviate the suffering from the violence and sanctions. A school is a place where we are supposed to voice opinions and challenge each other’s thinking. I would like to remind everyone to separate government and politics from ordinary citizens. TIS is a place of respectful dialogue. As part of the Central & Eastern European Schools Association, we are in close communication with international schools in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and countries bordering Ukraine. It is inspiring to see the efforts CEESA schools are doing to support each other. Many schools have moved to Virtual Learning or are receiving refugees. 

Finally, the TIS Board of Trustees approved the 2022-2023 School Calendar. For those of you planning your return to Tashkent in August, our first day of classes will be Tuesday, August 16, 2022. 

Navruz Assembly

We are very excited to again welcome parents on campus to join us for our Elementary Assembly.  This week we will be celebrating a special Navruz Assembly with poems, songs and dances.  Parents are welcome to join us for the celebration at 08:20 on Monday 14 March.  The Assembly will take place outside (weather permitting).  Parents are required to wear their TIS ID Card when entering Campus.

Students are ENCOURAGED TO WEAR NATIONAL COSTUME for this assembly.  We encourage students to wear clothing from Uzbekistan or their home country as we celebrate this holiday through our unique TIS international lens.

 

Navruz Food Drive

Our Elementary Student Council is collecting food donations to be distributed to families in need who live in Sarakul Mahalla. This will enable these families to celebrate the Navruz holiday. The students have done a great job so far but we are still looking for donations of the following items:

• Rice
• Oil
• Pasta
• Sugar
• Buckwheat
• Beans

Masks in Preschool

As part of our adjustments in our COVID Protocols, starting Monday 14 March, masks will be optional for our students in PS1 and PS2.  This will be in effect both inside and outside.

PYP Exhibition

The PYP Exhibition is an opportunity for our Grade 5 students to celebrate all of the learning they have experienced as part of the Primary Years Programme.  Our Grade 5 students have chosen an area that they were passionate about, and have spent weeks researching and and inquiring in to many different areas.  Students also have focused on taking action to have an impact on our local, regional and global communities.  On Wednesday students will be sharing their learning with students and on Thursday families will be invited in to share in our celebrations of learning and actions.  We are very proud of these students and what they have achieved over this process.

PSEL - Child Protection and Sexuality Education Lessons 

During their PSEL lessons in March and April, the elementary students will learn about Child Protection and Safety to help them gain self awareness, social awareness, and develop self management, relationship and responsible decision making skills. During these lessons, students learn three types of skills: 

• Personal Safety. Students learn important safety rules, such as safety with sharp tools and fire, and when riding on wheels or in cars. They also learn ways to help them decide if something is safe or not.
• Touching Safety. Students learn about safe, unsafe, and unwanted touches, and rules about touching private body parts. They also learn to say no to unsafe or unwanted touches, and to tell an adult if someone breaks rules about touching private body parts.
• Assertiveness. These lessons give students a chance to practice asking an adult for help, telling an adult about an unsafe situation, and being assertive to get out of unsafe situations. 

In April and May, we move onto the subject of Sexuality Education which has been developed based on the UNESCO guidelines and has 3 strands: The Human Body & Development, Sexual & Reproductive Health and Understanding Gender. Below you can find more details about the learning outcomes per grade.  

For some parents, these can feel like difficult conversations to have but we hope through our teaching and learning at school you and your child will find a more comfortable way to talk to your child about these topics.  If you want to know more about the program, you are always able to access the resources in the Families section of the Second Step Program. 

If you would like to know more about the specific areas we cover in our curriculum please contact Robyn elemasstprincipal@tashschool.org . If you have any questions about the Sexuality Education lessons, or if it has raised concerns, please email our school counselor, Mary Fowler elemcounselor@tashschool.org  

Thank you for working together with us to make TIS a safe and caring place.

Celebrating International Women’s Day

The High School Student Council celebrated International Women’s Day by creating a set of cards for students and teachers to send to members of our community. The cards were designed to acknowledge and celebrate women’s achievements. We hope some of the cards made it home to female family members.  

Personal Project Exhibition

The G10 students were delighted to welcome parents and students to share their learning experiences and celebrate the  Personal Project journey that they have been on. It has not been easy with COVID disruptions so it was brilliant to be able to have this opportunity to connect with our learning community. This connection with you is something that makes TIS such a special place. The Personal Project means a lot to us, because it is the gathering of all our MYP  learning. Students have been challenged in order to explore their passions and create one final product. From amazing pokemon cards to beautiful artworks, to delicious cuisines, this year’s personal project had it all. (scroll down for photos)

MUN Conference at the British School of Tashkent

This weekend, our MUN club sent a delegation to the first MUN conference at the British School. For many of the delegates, this was their first time attending an in-person conference that was not held by TIS. Students represented a diverse range of countries, including the USA, Indonesia,  Estonia, UK, and Jordan in different committees. One of our students chaired the DIESC Committee while others debated in Human Rights, ECOSOC, WHO and DIESC. 

The conference was a great experience for our students with Hugo Nelson winning best delegate in his committee. 

   

Navruz Food Drive

Last week, the High School StuCo met with representatives from the elementary student council to learn from them about their Navruz Food Drive. It was great hearing the elementary students share their learning about our Mahalla, wanting to support local families. During the meeting the HS StuCo has decided to support the food drive and encourage donations of the following items for the next few days: 

- Buckwheat 

- Oil 

- Chickpeas

- Mung beans

- Sugar

- Rice

Donations can be left at the secondary entrance on a table.