July, 2011

Dear Parents,

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, administration, faculty and staff, I would like to welcome you to the American Community Schools of Athens and thank you for entrusting us with the education of your children.

As a mathematician, educator, but most importantly as a father of two children who have graduated from ACS Athens in 2006 and 2011, I am convinced that ACS Athens provides the best educational experience to every student, by offering a holistic, meaningful and harmonious educational experience to our students that “equips” them with all the necessary and sufficient skills and knowledge to succeed in college and life in general. 

New Initiatives for 2011-2012

• American Farm School, Thessaloniki Agreement – ACS Athens currently has two school-to-school partnership projects with the American Farm School in Thessaloniki.  One was in conjunction with the English Department and it was an on-line collaboration in writing between the American Farm School students and Ms. Evelyn Pittas’ A-2 students.  The second collaboration in process is in conjunction with the Science Department and focuses on 9^th grade Biology.  This will come to fruition next fall and will involve time on the AFS campus for hands on lab work.  We are also in the process of developing an on-line Bio-Technology Program for ACS Athens students. 
• Chapman University, Summer 2012 – We are currently in the process of developing a collaborative program with Chapman University in Los Angeles for a summer institute in Media, Film, and Communications for 11^th and 12^th grade students.  This program will also allow us to add a tour of California universities to our “Experiencing College Life” Program.
• AKTO Agreement - The Institute, acting on behalf of ACS Athens, has developed an agreement with AKTO, a university level Art School in Athens, whereby they have designed two courses specifically for ACS Athens students intended to supplement and enrich the program in the Arts. Program 1:  Fundamentals of Animation (intensive 50 hour course); Program 2:  Create and Develop your Portfolio.  The cost of these two course offerings at AKTO are €600.00 and €500.00 respectively.
• Articulation agreements were finalized with the University of Mary Washington and Pepperdine University.  Talks continue with over 20 U.S. colleges and universities.
• Participation in a Research Project with Athens Information Technology (AIT) – This research project targets the empowerment of school teachers with easy-to-use authoring tools for educational games that will enhance students’ learning experience and thus create a positive attitude towards education from early on in their lives. 
• Mentoring Concept – In the 2011-2012 school year, we will implement a professional new teacher mentoring program in the Elementary School, which draws on the expertise of experienced teachers to guide our new teachers through their transition.
• Ms. Pappas, our Elementary School Principal, will be on maternity leave for part of the 2011-2012 school year.  Ms. Cathy Makropoulos, currently Early Childhood Coordinator and Kindergarten teacher, will be Acting Principal during Ms. Pappas’ absence.  Ms. Makropoulos has been a teacher at ACS Athens for 17 years and is currently completing her administrative certificate with the Principals’ Training Center (PTC).    
• Early Childhood ECIS Conference - ACS Athens will host the 2012 ECIS Annual Conference on Early Childhood Education in March, 2012.  Approximately 550-600 participants (teachers, principals, school heads) from international schools around the world are expected to attend this conference. 
• Special Invitation from Mary Washington University - Dr. Gialamas has been invited to speak at the installation ceremony for the recently appointed President of the University of Mary Washington.  The formal academic ceremony will take place at the Dodd Auditorium on Friday, September 30, 2011 for an audience of 1,300 faculty, students and distinguished guests.
  

2010-2011 Highlights

• The Academy Commencement Ceremony was a great success.  The eighth President of the University of Mary Washington, Mr. Richard Hurley, was the Commencement speaker for 90 students in the 2011 graduating class. 
• ACS Athens and its students had excellent IB exam results this year.  Out of the 39 students who were enrolled in the IB Diploma Program, 100% received their diploma, with 44 (out of a possible 45) being the highest grade.  Fifteen percent of our students received above a 40, with an overall average of 33.5.  Congratulations to our students and faculty for this wonderful outcome! 
• Advanced Placement Courses - We currently have seven AP courses available to our students and have approval to offer an additional two for the 2011-2012 school year. 
• Students taking AP courses can now receive the AP International Diploma, by completing five AP courses with a grade of 3 or above (perfect score is 5) in three different areas (Math or Science, English, World Languages, Global Studies). ACS Athens is the only school in Greece offering the AP (Advanced Placement) International Diploma. All AP courses and the AP International Diploma are approved by the College Board, the organization offering the AP courses and the AP international Diploma.
• College/University Placement - The 2011 college acceptances were very successful with “best fit” and “first choice” college placement for the graduating class.  Every year more and more of our graduates select universities in the United States.  The first group of 25 students who had made commitments to U.S. universities received scholarships and financial awards of approximately $550,000.  Over the past few years our students have been accepted to some of the top ranking colleges/universities in the United States such as Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins, Duke University, Harvard University, Cornell University, Stanford University, Columbia University and many more.   
• “The Future is Now” - a series of college preparation sessions for parents scheduled during the year to help parents understand and prepare with their children for college/university.   These are scheduled according to grade of student and information is provided regarding the best type of preparation for being optimally prepared to enter university. In addition, specifically for parents of seniors, there will be a college/university application workshop scheduled in the beginning of the year.   Counselors will go through the application process step by step and will answer any specific questions regarding this process.
• ACS Athens has increased its enrollment for six consecutive years, with quality and integrity.  In June of 2011 we had 870 students and we are expecting 900 for the upcoming school year.
• Third Summer Leadership Institute - The 2011 Third Summer Leadership Institute in conjunction with Jepson School of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond took place from June 26 – July 8.  Twelve students participated this year.  While in Washington D.C. the students had the opportunity to visit and speak with Congressman John Sarbanes, Congressman Gus Bilirakis, former U.S. Ambassador Thomas Miller and Bonnie Miller, Lt. Col. Jeff Carpenter, Defense Aide to Senator Clare McCaskill, Mr. Leon Stavrou, Director of HELLENEXT and the Chief Ethics Office at Lockheed Martin.  The ACS Athens faculty members participating in this Leadership Institute were:  Mr. Steve Medeiros, Ms. Peggy Pelonis and Ms. Ellen Vriniotis.
• Chapin School (2^nd year of cooperation) – ten students and two faculty members from The Chapin School in New York City participated in the second on-line Humanities program and study trip to Florence, Siena and Rome, focusing on Humanism in the Italian Renaissance.
• MUN - The 2010-2011 ACS Athens' MUN delegations were extremely successful last year at both the THIMUN and QMUN conferences last year.   At THIMUN, our school was chosen to represent an ECOSOC country, which is a member state that is part of the Economic Conference in the real United Nations, and thus involves more students and even more challenging committees.  Also, one of our students was selected to serve as a Judge on the International Court of Justices where they heard actual cases for the World Court and visited actual proceedings as well as the International Peace Palace in The Hague.  Our school took more students last year, due to the honored positions, with sixteen students attending the week-long conference last January.  The Qatar Model United Nations team traveled to Doha, Qatar, with six (6) ACS Athens students.  An outstanding mix of students from all ages and experiences, our delegation showcased their skills among 350 delegates from all over the world.   This conference is organized by Georgetown University, Qatar campus students, and utilizes a much more inclusive model. 
• Optimal Match Conference - The 6^th Annual Learning Differences Conference, “Building Resilience in Student Learning,” took place on May 13 & 14, 2011 at ACS Athens and was a great success.  This conference gave an exceptional opportunity to the 250+ participants who attended to learn and be exposed to the new developments in the area of student learning.  There were 31 presenters from around the world who shared their knowledge with the participants, as well as many interactive workshops.   This conference reaffirmed that the ACS Athens community of educators and parents believe that as unique individuals, we learn in different ways.  Acknowledging these differences can be a source of richness in the classroom and that instruction must address these differences so that all students can succeed.
• The Hasib Sabbagh Library - On April 2, 2011, the Middle School/Academy Library was dedicated to Mr. Hasib J. Sabbagh (1920-2010), one of the world’s most prominent businessmen and philanthropists.  Mr. Suheil and Mr. Samir Sabbagh offer full tuition scholarships to twelve (12) young people with strong academic and athletic credentials in the name of Diana Tamari and Hasib J. Sabbagh.   
• The 2011-2012 Summer Camp was a great success with 465 students from the wider Athens area attending. 
• The Middle School Swimming Team finished First in their International competition (SCIS Championship) competing against ten (10) other international schools.
• The ACS Athens Boys’ Varsity Basketball Team won the ISST Championship while the Girls’ team finished third in their respective tournaments.
• NESA Science Fair – Our Middle School students performed exceptionally well in the NESA Virtual Science Fair and were awarded First Place for their physics project on Sound Attenuation.  Recognition was also given to one of our students in the category Physics/Invention Technology, and yet another student won third place for his project on Arch Bridges. Other ACS Athens students also distinguished themselves in the finals.
• Community Service Initiative - ACS Athens students took on the responsibility to feed 300 needy people in center Athens beginning December and for every second Monday of each month until June, 2011.  The students purchased food, made sure it was delivered, unpacked the food, served and cleaned the space as part of this community service initiative. 
• Eighty-five percent of the ACS Athens classrooms school-wide currently have Smart boards (Elementary School:  100%; Middle School:  75%; and Academy:  85%). 
• Skyward Family Access is a web-based comprehensive student information system that is available to administrators, teachers, parents and students to monitor, track and report on student data and progress.  This software offers point-and-click access to student demographics, attendance, discipline, grades and schedules   Parents and students have their own login credentials.
• NESA Virtual School - Moodle is also a web based system that enhances teaching and learning.  Teachers build their Moodle course using course materials such as documents, web links, etc., creating a powerful learning content using a variety of web-based tools for students to engage in an interactive way.  Students have their own login credentials.  Using these tools has brought our institution to a new technological phase. Links to the above sites can be found on our school website under Navigation - User Links - Skyward Login and Moodle.

Division Chairs

In order to further improve the holistic, meaningful and harmonious educational experience of our students, including curriculum, teaching and learning and professional development, we have created curriculum-based divisions with Division Chairs being the catalysts for this effort. 

The following faculty members have taken on this responsibility:

• Science/Mathematics/Technology – Dr. Andreas Tsokos received his B.Sc. in Physics and Math from Birmingham University, his M.S. in Physics and Math from Cornell University and his Ph.D. in Physics from Cornell University.  He has 16 years of teaching experience at ACS Athens.

• English/Language Arts – Ms. Kathy Jasonides received her B.A. in Journalism and Social Studies from the University of Michigan and her M.S. in Journalism and Social Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles.  She has 36 years of teaching experience at ACS Athens.

• Social Studies/Humanities – Ms. Jan Karvouniaris received her B.A. degree from Miami University and has 31 years of teaching experience at ACS Athens.

New U.S. Hires

Seven (7) new teachers will be joining ACS Athens beginning the 2011-2012 school year.  Below, please find a short outline for each:

Elementary School

Ms. Ashley Bray, Kindergarten Teacher

Ms. Bray comes to us from Texas where she is currently teaching.  She has her degree in Early Childhood Education and ESL.  She is certified in the State of Texas.

Ms. Kersten Ficke, First Grade Teacher

Ms. Ficke comes to us from Texas where she is currently teaching.  She has her degree in Elementary Education from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln and is certified in the State of Texas and Nebraska. 

Ms. Jessica Johnson, Second Grade Teacher

Ms. Johnson comes to us from Colorado where she is currently teaching.  She has her degree in Elementary Teaching and Early Childhood/Pre K/K teaching and is certified in the State of Colorado. 

Mr. Matthew J. Perroni, Third Grade Teacher

Mr. Perroni comes to us from Colorado where he is currently teaching.  He has his M.A. in Human Development & Family Studies and his B.A. in Elementary Education.

Mr. Patrick Perry, Fourth Grade Teacher

Mr. Perry comes to us from Colorado where he is currently teaching.  He has his MA in Arts of Teaching and his BA in Sociology.  He is certified in Elementary School Teaching.

Academy

Mr. Jacob House, Academy Social Studies Teacher

Mr. House comes to us from Kansas where he is currently teaching.  He has his M.A. in Curriculum/Teaching and his B.A. in Secondary History/Government.  Mr. House is certified in the State of Kansas. 

Ms. April Wanex, Academy English Teacher

Ms. Wanex comes to us from Virginia where she is currently teaching.  She has her B.A. in Anthropology Classics and her M.A. in Social Studies.  She is certified both in the State of New York and Virginia.

As all of you can see, there are lots of exciting things happening at ACS Athens.  I am delighted and honored to have the opportunity to continue working with students, faculty, staff, Board of Trustees, PTO, Boosters and donors, but more importantly with you, the parents, in leading ACS Athens in the continued journey of providing the best possible educational experience to our students.  

My office is always open to you and your children.  Active parents help students, faculty, staff and administration in reaching our goals, which are none other than providing a holistic, meaningful and harmonious education to our children.

The best way to predict the future of our children is working together in shaping it. I look forward to another wonderful school year and seeing all of you at some point on our campus.

 

Sincerely,

Stefanos Gialamas, Ph.D.                                                                        President