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Kozak Korner #07. September 26th, 2025 

| Director's Message

Dear parents,

As I am still relatively new to Ukraine, I was curious about the significance of the upcoming public holiday on 1st October. An internet search helped me to understand more and I thought I'd share one of my findings with you...

From AveHolidays - Upcoming Holidays Around the World

1st October marks an important day for the people of Ukraine – the 'Day of Defenders and Defendresses of Ukraine'. This holiday commemorates the sacrifices that Ukrainian soldiers and citizens have made throughout the country's history in the defense of its people and its sovereignty. It is a day to pay tribute and recognition to those brave men and women who have dedicated their lives to fighting for a cause greater than them. 

This holiday serves as a reminder to strive for peace and harmonious relations with our neighbours, while also upholding our sense of national pride and strength.

As the national anthem of Ukraine states, “Ukraine will be strong, while we are brave”. Let us unite together on this day and preserve and uphold the legacy of those who have shown their courage and strength in the defense of Ukraine.

As you know we are observing the daily minute of silence at KIS at 9:00am, which further shows our solemn respect for the country.

This weekend we look forward to the Annual Back to School Picnic organised by our wonderful PTO. Look out for further details about this and other PTO events in the PTO section of the Kozak Korner.

Also, note that on 10th October you will have opportunities to meet your children's teacher at Parent Teacher Conferences. These will run all day and sign ups will be available from the beginning of October. 

I look forward to seeing you on Saturday afternoon.

Kind regards,

Susan Tilney
susan-tilney@kyiv.qsi.org

 

| Back-To-School Picnic

 
PTOPicnicTimetable6 (PDF)

Dear KIS Community,

It’s that wonderful time of year again - our Annual Back-to-School Picnic is just around the corner!  We warmly invite you and your family to join us for an afternoon of food, fun, and community spirit.

🗓️ Date: Saturday, September 27th
🕐 Time: 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
📍 Location: School Picnic Area

What’s in store:

BBQ + Potluck – There will be hotdogs and we're asking everyone to bring a dish to share! From homemade favorites to simple shop finds, every contribution adds flavor to our community table.

Activities for All – From badminton and football with dads to music, dancing, and a Book Fair, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

CAS Collection Table – Our CAS students will be collecting garments and supplies for dogs at the Sirius Pet Shelter. If you’d like, please consider bringing along a contribution. 

👉 Don’t forget: wear comfortable clothes and shoes - you’ll want to join in the games, dancing, and fun!

We can’t wait to see you all there for another memorable start to the school year. 

With warmest wishes,
The PTO Team

"Potluck of Kindness" - Student Initiative

 

PTOPICNIC (PDF)

Students and families,

As the upcoming PTO Picnic on September 27th approaches, we are excited to introduce a special table where you can join our “potluck of kindness” by gathering any garments and supplies for dogs at the Sirius Pet Shelter. From leashes and blankets to food and toys — every item makes a difference!!!

This contribution will expand our ongoing project of sorting food for the shelter and will strengthen the spirit of our school community. Together, we can make an even bigger contribution!

Sincerely,

Mariia S. 
CAS Student

Key Dates

Fall:

  • 27 September - Back-To-School Picnic
  • 29 September - MAP testing sessions begin
  • 30 September - KIS vs PSI Middle School Football Games
  • 1 October - Ukraine's Defender's Day - no school
  • 3 October - Teacher's Day
  • 4 October - School- Wide Photowalk
  • 10 October - Parent-Teacher Conferences
  • 17 October - PTO Marathon Fundraiser, (school half-day)
  • 20 - 24 October - Fall Break
  • 24 October - November SAT Registration Deadline
  • 31 October - Fall Festival
  • 8 November - SAT 
  • 20-21 November - Professional Development Days - no school for students

School Calendar 2025 - 2026

Policy and Procedures

 

| NWEA MAP Testing

 

MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) testing begins the week of September 29th. This test allows us to measure a student's progress over the course of the school year and to identify student strengths and weaknesses in different academic areas. 

For more information about this test: 

Family Toolkit - NWEA

| PTO Fundraiser Marathon

PTOFundraisingMarathonFlyer (PDF)

On October 17th, from 9:00-am-11:00am, KIS together with PTO will host a school-wide Fundraising Marathon. This is a sponsored run in which students will pre-arrange sponsorships in order to raise money for KIS Activities & Athletics and the brave defenders who are part of the KIS community.

Schedule:
9:00-9:30 - Preschool 
9:45-10:15 - Elementary 
10:30-11:00 - Middle School and High School

This event aims to:

  • Highlight the Success Orientations of group interaction and concern for others
  • Get students, of all ages, and families collaborating and working together for a cause
  • Raise funds for KIS Athletics and brave defenders of KIS all while being active and having fun!

Note: The Fundraising Marathon will take place on the KIS campus. The preschool students will take one lap around our track.  

The elementary, middle, and high school students will run the full "loop" as many times as they would like in 30 minutes. 

We hope that adults can help by sponsoring a KIS student during the Fundraising Marathon. Please consider sponsoring a KIS student with either a monetary pledge for each lap they complete (example: 50 uah/lap) OR a flat donation (regardless of how many laps the individual completes).

Parents, grandparents, neighbors, friends, previous KIS families, aunts and uncles ... anyone can be a sponsor! The more sponsors the student has, the more money he/she raises.

Who We Are

Parent-Teacher Organization

The Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO), a non-profit group, brings together parents, teachers, and administrators to enhance the school experience for our students. PTO Lobby Shop raises funds to support school events, gifts, and surprises for students, teachers, and staff. Any KIS parent is welcome to join.

Learn more about Parent-Teacher Organization

What is KIS Moms & Dads? 

KIS Moms & Dads is a private Facebook group for KIS parents and the PTO. It's a place to discover ways to get involved in school activities, PTO events, and volunteer opportunities, as well as to share ideas, feedback, and suggestions with the school and PTO. To join, please complete the membership questions.

How to join PTO? 

It's simple - just send an email at pto@kyiv.qsi.org or talk to one of the PTO members at the PTO Shop.

| Languages Other Than English (LOE)

Week of Languages

The LOE department has a good tradition to celebrate Languages at the end of September. The next week, each day will be dedicated to one of 4 languages:

  • Monday - French
  • Tuesday - German
  • Thursday - Spanish
  • Friday - Ukrainian

It means that we will organize something special in LOE classes. 

You can join this movement too. Each member of our international and multilingual community speaks at least 3 languages. We would like to know more about you and have prepared a survey for students, parents and teachers. How many languages do you speak?

🔗 LINK TO THE SURVEY

It will take just a couple minutes and will give us a precious data. The greatest KIS linguists will be announced on Friday, October 3rd. 

Merci! Danke! Gracias! Дякуємо!

Sincerely,
Sergey Berezhny

Have Questions About LOE?

Feel free to reach out to our LOE Coordinator, Mr. Sergey Berezhny at sergey-berezhny@kyiv.qsi.org.

| School-Wide Photowalk

 

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

  • Choose your favourite 1-5 photos from your walk on October 05th
  • Edit them however you like
  • Label them your name and last initial and the number of the photo
  • ie; leanneh 1.jpg
  • Make sure your photo is in jpg form
  • Place edited labelled photos in the folder linked Photo Walk - Info and Submissions Folder.

IMPORTANT:

RENAME YOUR PHOTOS BEFORE UPLOADING.
DO NOT EXIT ANY TABS BEFORE YOU ARE COMPLETELY SURE ALL OF YOUR PHOTOS HAVE UPLOADED COMPLETELY.
DEADLINE for all submissions is Friday October 11th.

After Fall Break there will be an Online Gallery (of some sort) shared with the KIS
Community and greater public.

If you have any difficulty please contact Leanne Hume leanne-hume@kyiv.gsi.org

| Secondary Clash of The Classes Highlights

 
1 (PDF)
2 (PDF)
3 (PDF)
4 (PDF)

| "Empower" Program

 

The Empower curriculum integrates the Success Orientations, Social Emotional Learning concepts, and Child Protection principles into individual lessons throughout the year. These lessons will be delivered during a dedicated weekly EMPOWER class time. This approach aims to equip students with a comprehensive set of skills applicable throughout their lives. Specific lessons tailored to each grade level ensure developmental appropriateness. While some concepts may be revisited annually, the lessons will vary based on the students' age. For more information, please see the QSI Empower statement.

Teachers will keep parents informed about the upcoming lessons for their child, and for certain grades, the lesson plans will be accessible in this newsletter. Click on the post below to view the message from the teacher.

Have Questions About "Empower"?

Feel free to reach out to our Empower Program Coordinator, Mrs. Alla Titova at alla-titova@kyiv.qsi.org 

| Week Highlights

 

| Integrated Technology Platforms

| Meet Your School Counselor

To schedule a meeting with Ms. Zoromski, our school counselor, please click here.  Her email is: chelsey-zoromski@kyiv.qsi.org. 

As a reminder, she works with all students in our school to support them academically and emotionally.  

| How To Contact Us

How to Contact Your Child During the School Day:

If you need to talk to your child during the school day, please contact reception and a message will be delivered to them. Please do not call or text your child directly during the school day.

Contacting School Staff

Staff hours are 8:10am-4:15pm Monday-Friday. If you email a teacher outside of these times you may not receive a response until the following day. We endeavour to respond within 24 hours.