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Kozak Korner #18. January 10th, 2025 

| Director's Message

Dear Families,

Happy New Year! It has been a joyous week at KIS – we are thrilled to see our Kozaks back at school and our students seem thrilled to be back. Our community is rested and ready to continue learning and growing.

Please remind your children about the importance of speaking English when they are at school. We are a community with one shared language: English. When students persistently ignore our English-only policy, they indicate that they are not interested in being part of our community. Thank you for talking to your kids about this!

January 24th is the day we have our Student Advocacy Conferences. A reminder that this is a school day for students. If teachers need to talk to you about your child’s progress, at the mid-year point, they will contact you. Please look at your family Moodle account to see the mid-year narrative reports.

We are sorry about the delay – we were only recently informed that they had not uploaded properly.

Have a wonderful weekend!

You can always contact us by calling +38 044 452 2792.

Best regards,
Rachel Geary 
rachel-geary@kyiv.qsi.org

| Welcome a New Teacher

We are very happy to welcome Jodi Ann Kuchynska to KIS.  She will be our teacher for the 9-year-old class. Jodi is an American who started her teaching career in Texas in 2009. She worked in a wide variety of schools and taught various age groups until the fall of 2022, when she came to Ukraine to work with a humanitarian aid group. After meeting  her husband, she settled in Kyiv and has worked at several schools. 

We are excited to have another experienced, enthusiastic teacher joining our team.

| International Night

 
First page of the PDF file: IIBig

Dear KIS Community,

We are thrilled to invite you and your family to our upcoming International Night, a celebration of the diverse cultures that make our school community so special! This exciting event will take place on February 01.

We encourage you to participate by representing a country that is meaningful to you. This includes showcasing food and drinks, traditional clothing, participating in the flag parade, a local craft or game, music, or any other cultural highlights. Please let us know which country your family would like to represent by filling out the FORM

For any questions or additional information, feel free to reach out to olga-kardash@kyiv.qsi.org .

We look forward to celebrating this amazing event with you and learning about the rich cultures within our school community!

Key Dates

Winter:

  • 20 - 23 January - MAP for IE students
  • 24 January - Student Advocacy Conferences
  • 27 January - Elementary Parent Coffee Chat
  • 28 January - MS Parent Coffee Chat
  • 30 January - Secondary Parent Coffee Chat
  • 1 February - International Night
  • 9 February - All-Ukrainian Adaptive Pickleball Association Tournament 
  • 17 - 21 February - School break

School Calendar 2024 - 2025 

School Calendar 2025 - 2026

Event Calendar

Policy and Procedures

 

| "Empower" Lesson Plans

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.

| 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.  

| KIS Cares

 

Support Our Wounded Heroes! 🇺🇦

Kyiv International School, in collaboration with the German School, will have a charity drive on campus for clean or new clothes donations to help wounded soldiers in hospitals. Starting Monday there will be a box for donations, and we encourage our community to contribute.

💙 They gave their all. Let's give something of ours. 💛

Your contributions will provide comfort and care to those who have sacrificed so much. Together, we can make a difference!

Let’s stand united for our heroes. Thank you for your support! 

| Modern Dance Club at KIS

 

Join Our Modern Dance Team! 

Ready to groove, perform, and compete? Our Modern Dance Classes with a professional coach are the perfect way to shine on stage and be part of an energetic, creative team! 

📅 When: Mon, Wed, Fri
⏰ Time: 4:10 PM – 5:10 PM
📍 Where: School Multi-Purpose Room (next to the gym top)

Don't miss out on the fun, friendships, and the thrill of performing! Let’s dance! 

Sign up today or get more info:
📞 Yulia Angel at +38 067 500 2775

| Week Highlights

 
Secondary Art Class

FROM CLAY TO CREATION: SEC STUDENTS' ARTISTIC JOURNEY

Our incredible secondary students have been exploring clay as their artistic medium. They practiced three hand-building techniques: pinch pots, coiling, and slab building. After mastering these techniques, the students created tall vases

Continue reading about Secondary Art Class
Secondary Biology Class

BUILDING BALANCE: EXPLORING ECOSYSTEMS TROUGH STUDENT-DESIGNED MESOCOSMS 

In Biology class, our Secondary 1 and Secondary 2 students had hands-on learning by designing and building their own mesocosms—self-sustaining, sealed terrariums that mimic natural ecosystems. Through this project, students applied their

Continue reading about Secondary Biology Class

| PTO & Community Engagement

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.

| Integrated Technology Platforms

| Extra Services

 

| Announcements

 

Book Club For Adults

KIS has started a book club for adults, and you are invited to join!  

Here are the plans: 

  1. Read one book per month and be ready to discuss it in English. 
  2. Each month one person in the club chooses three titles and we will vote for which one we want to read. We will have one month to read the chosen title before our next meeting. 
  3. That book host/hostess of the month will also choose the restaurant or cafe where we will meet to discuss the book and enjoy each other’s company. 

If you are interested, please contact Diane Baima at  diane-baima@kyiv.qsi.org 

 

 

 

English  Tutoring!

Are you looking for a tutor to enhance your child's English language skills? Look no more!

KIS teacher, Ms. Nataliya Rudenko offers:

  • Customized Lessons: Tailored to meet your specific needs and goals
  • Flexible Scheduling 
  • Focus Areas - Elementary, Kindergarten:  grammar, reading, writing, and math!

Why to choose Ms. Rudenko?

  • She is an ESL tutor with 10 years of teaching experience. 
  • Proven track record of helping students achieve fluency. 
  • Passionate about helping students succeed in a comfortable and supportive setting. 

If interested, please contact her at +38 067-665-36-97. 

English For Parents!

KIS is delighted to offer English Classes For Parents! 

Class starts at 8:30 am in Room 204.  

  • Tuesday, Thursday: Beginner learners
  • Wednesday, Friday: More advanced​ learners

Got questions? Please contact: natasha-kuzovleva@kyiv.qsi.org

Please follow the links below to access the Classifieds: 

If you have an announcement that you would like us to publish, please reach out to kozakconnect@qsi.org .