International School Manila

ES PARENT BULLETIN
Volume 14 12 March 2010

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER From the ES Administration

MAR
ES Photo Shoot @ 9am - 2.30pm, 1115
15
Workshop for ESL Parents @ 1 - 2pm, 1008
Early Student Release @ 12pm
16 Student Led Conferences @ 12.30 - 4.30pm
No After School Activities
Wednesday Morning Student Late Start @
17, 24
8.30am
25 Early Student Release @ 12pm
Dear Elementary School Parents,
Students and teachers have been preparing for Stu-
dent led Conferences which will take place on
Tuesday, March 16. Your children are looking for-
ward to spending time together with you in their
classroom. We hope you find the experience to be
worthwhile in discovering more about what hap-
pens in our school and how your child is developing
with their learning. A reminder that there will be
early dismissal at 12:00pm on this day.

26 Faculty In-Service - No Classes

Today your child may come home and tell you
29 - about our emergency evacuation practice. At times
Spring Break
06 April throughout the year, we practice the procedures
APR we have in place in the event of an emergency
situation. Today we practiced a “lock down” in the
ES Parent Coffee @ 7.30am, Little Theatre
22
Agenda to follow
classroom followed by an internal evacuation to the
ES gym. Although the siren was fairly loud, our ES
ES International Day students did a very good job of moving quickly and
30
Concert schedule to follow
quietly to the gym. Under the supervision of their
teachers, they sat patiently until we were given the
‘all clear’ to return to classrooms. Our teachers
work with our students to understand these proce-
dures and why we do them so that we can be pre-
pared in the unlikely event of an emergency.

Yours in Education,

Simon Gillespie Michael Rourke

ES Principal ES Assistant Principal
Elementary School Parent Bulletin 12 March 2010

From the ES Office From the Art Department

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
PHOTO SHOOT
Students, Faculty and Staff who missed the
shoot last October and November 2009
may have their school photos taken on
15 March 2010, Monday,
9:00 AM – 2:30 PM
Rm. 1115 (Changing Room)
The Art Department would like
to remind you that our collec-
tion of clean and safe recy-
clable materials is ongoing.
Anything from lids, Styrofoam
trays, broken toys, keys,
kitchen utensils, plastic tubs and
bottles etc. can be used to create art work.
Please bring donations directly to room 1191.
Many thanks!

Students are looking forward to inviting

From the ESL Department
An Invitation to ESL Parents
The ESL team is offering a Parent Workshop on Monday the
15th March, 2010 in preparation for the Student Led confer-
ences to take place the next day. The workshop will run from
1pm until 2pm in Ms Atkinson’s room – 1008.
During the workshop you will have the chance to:
• learn about what Student Led conferences look like at ISM
• see a conference in action (on video)
• find out the kinds of questions you could ask your child
• role-play a conference
• talk to other ESL parents
• ask questions about the conferences
• become better prepared and more familiar with a Stu-
dent Led conference format
There will be limited spaces for this workshop, so please con-
tact me, Pippa Beetson, at beetsonp@ismanila.org to reserve
your place.
Thank you for all your ongoing support in developing your
child’s bilingualism.
their parents to school next week. Stu-
dents will have an opportunity during
Student Led Conference to share at least
one piece of art work which they have
been working on. Question prompts will
help students to initiate conversation
with parents regarding this work. The
point is for the child to explain the pur-
pose of the work, what it was about, and
the skills, techniques and procedure
needed to do it. Some students may have
incomplete work in their file. This is
fine. The point is to share the learning
process and those who did not finish in
time will explain to their parents why
this is the case. For example, maybe
their original plan was too detailed, or
maybe the he or she found the techni-
cal skills quite hard and can explain
why. Or maybe they need to focus
more in class :). Many grade level cor-
ridors will have some art displays also
showing examples of recent completed
work. We hope you enjoy.

The ESL Team The Art Team

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Elementary School Parent Bulletin 12 March 2010

From the PE Department

Students will have an opportunity during Student Led Conferences to share at least one video of the learning in
PE lessons. Question prompts will help students to initiate conversation with parents regarding the learning in
PE. The point is for the child to explain some of the skills and knowledge they are learning in PE,
along with how we can further improve our skills and when we apply these skills.

Our goal in PE is for every child to enjoy being active. You can help your child feel comfortable in an
active setting by ensuring they are dressed appropriately, items are labeled, and water bottles are
ready! Coach Bill Blankenship’s classes need to wear a hat and bring full water bottles as they are scheduled on
the ES Field for another 2 weeks. The weather is warming up and it is now timely to promote sun smart behavior.
We also ask that your child wear appropriate footwear on PE days. Many children experience difficulty with skills
such as running, dribbling with the feet, punting and kicking due to inappropriate footwear. Coach
Noli’s classes are swimming and we ask that you ensure all swimming attire including goggles, tow-
els and PE uniforms and hats are labeled. Long hair should be tied back for all PE classes for safety
and comfort. We appreciate your support in these matters and it certainly assists your child in feeling comfortable
and ready for action! Coach Pekin and Coach O’Farrell’s classes are both indoors for the next two weeks.

Amanda Pekin and the ES Physical Education Team

From the IT Department

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Elementary School Parent Bulletin 12 March 2010

From Student Council, Service Learning & Eco

Help Support PCF and INVISIBLE

From pop can tab

to purse!

From magazine
to jewelry!

From plastic bag

to purse!

From drink
holder to bag!

Your children can bring plastic bags, magazines, ring pulls from soda cans and tetra paks to
school. We are helping PCF and Invisible by collecting these items and they use them for
making things and sending their children to school. For more information go to: http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlOZXdDn3h4

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Elementary School Parent Bulletin 12 March 2010

From the Superintendent

CHANGE IN PROCEDURE
Dear Parents:
Every year we have to deal with the administrative burden
of trying to collect from parents the $1000 Re-enrollment
Deposit. This is difficult for many parents, especially those
whose fees are paid by the sponsoring company, and more
difficult still for the school trying to collect from parents,
especially those who are not sure of their circumstances.
This year we shall try something different. There will be no
re-enrollment deposit. Instead, we shall expect all de-
parting families to complete the WITHDRAWAL NOTI-
FICATION FORM on or before May 15th. Failure to do
so will lead to a deduction of $1,000.00 from the Facilities
Upgrade Deposit.
As I am sure you understand, we at school face considerable
pressure from families applying to enter their children into
ISM. We have to establish the May 15th deadline in order for
us to be fair to those families on our waitlist. The earlier you
can tell us that you are leaving school, the sooner we can
provide clear answers to incoming families.
Dear Parents:
Some time ago, we were officially told that, in future, all the ma-
jor non-working holidays would be scheduled for Monday except
for ones as date-specific as Christmas Day. We have, of course,
factored in this information when we deliberate over our annual
calendar. As you know, we need to complete this calendar many
months in advance so that schools can plan their activities and
our community can plan their vacations. Accordingly, we calen-
dared Bataan Day on Monday, April 5th and by doing so were
able to give a substantial Easter break to students and faculty.
Recently, it was announced that Bataan Day would this year be
celebrated on Friday 9th April. Clearly it would not make sense to
bring teachers and students back from their vacations to work on
Monday 5th, and then have Tuesday 6th and Friday 9th as holi-
days, and so, in line with the rubric on the calendar (“Asterixed*
holidays will be fixed according to the dates so marked in the
calendar, and we shall not amend them if any subsequent official
announcement places them earlier or later”), may I confirm that:
Monday, April 5th will be a holiday as calendared and Friday April
9th will be a regular school day.

Sincerely,
Sincerely Yours,

David Toze David Toze

Superintendent Superintendent

From the School Clinic

TIME TO SIGN UP FOR THE 3RD HEPATITIS A AND B VACCINATION

Date Price (Php)

April 28th, 2010 Hepatitis A (Adult) 2249
Hepatitis A (Junior) 1125
Hepatitis B (Adult) 630
Hepatitis B (Junior) 355
Hepatitis A and B combined vaccine (Adult) 2000
Hepatitis A and B combined vaccine (Junior) 1000

(Prices are per individual vaccine in a course of either 2 or 3 vaccinations)

If you would like more information or you wish to sign up to receive any of the above vaccines, please call in at the clinic to pick up a reg-
istration form (next to the elementary canteen). Only people with a valid ISM ID may participate in this program.

PAYMENT FOR THESE VACCINATIONS MUST BE MADE TO THE CASHIER DEPARTMENT BY NO LATER THAN FRIDAY 16th
APRIL, 2010. VACCINES WILL THEN BE ORDERED AND NO FURTHER REGISTRATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED.

Clinic direct number: 840 8580

Email: clinic@ismanila.org

Many thanks

Debbie Duckworth
ISM Clinic Administrator
840 8581
duckworthd@ismanila.org
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Elementary School Parent Bulletin 12 March 2010

From Animarvelous
A message from ANIMARVELOUS (an ES Afterschool Activity)
A big thank you to everyone who supported our bake sale last Thursday, March 4.
We raised 7800 pesos! At 4pm our table was left with almost nothing. Animarvelous
students need to decide whether they will use the money to support the PARC Shel‐
ter and / or the La Vista Rescue Center to build an enclosure for the bearcats.

We had some questions posted during our bake sale. Naturally, the cookies and cup‐
cakes drew more attention than our questions. You could still answer some of our
questions by visiting our blog: http://animarvelous.ism‐online.org There is also other
cool stuff to do on our blog.
Sharing your thoughts sparks a lot of conversation in our group!
Thanks for all your support!

The Animarvelous shirt is selling at P250 each. Selling these shirts helps us raise
funds for the PARC Dog and Cat Shelter in Quezon City.
The back reads: EVERY ANIMAL MATTERS
If you would like to have one of these shirts, then please fit for your size and pay
with Ms. Toni in the ES AFAC Office. This shirt sends a very strong message about
how you feel and treat animals.

From the PTA

ISM European Community Lunch

Dear IFFD Volunteers:

I would like to thank you all for your generous support of both food and time at the IFFD. Although it turned out the pro-
vided table space was not as great as your contribution,
I still believe it was a big success for all of us.
By the way, some parents asked after that event if we could get together regularly as "ISM European Community" and
get to know each other, exchange and share information.
Thus I decided to volunteer and to organize a lunch.
Time: 11:30am, March 17th (Wed)
Venue: Restaurant Chesa Bianca, 7431 Yakal St. San Antonio Village, Makati City
I picked up this Swiss restaurant run by Saentis group this time because they were so generous to give us 15kg of free
sausages for the IFFD.
I hope as many of you as possible find the chance meaningful and join the lunch!
We can discuss then further about things such as how often, where and when we want to meet, and who'd organize the
next.
Please let me know about your attendance by March 15 due to table reservation.
Cheers,
Ingrid Nagl
Cellphone no.: 09275070738
Home no.: 028561092
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Elementary School Parent Bulletin
From the ATAC Office
IASAS ART & MUSIC/DDDF WRAP UP:
ISM has had a great convention in Taipei and re-
turned with a medal haul in the debate and foren-
sics competition. Our dance and drama groups
received wonderful ovations and high acclaim for
their performances as well. Congratulations to all
advisors and participants.
Medal winners for Debate and Forensics Competi-
tion:
Raheem Abid: Gold in Impromptu Speaking and
Bronze in Extemporaneous Speaking.
Michi Ferreol: Gold in Original Oratory
Synnove Eriksen: Silver in Oral Interpretation.
Sam Ramos Jones/Akshar Bonu: Bronze in debate.
ART EXHIBITION OPENING AND FESTIVAL
CONCERT:
For those that attended last Friday I hope you en-
joyed the incredible array of wonderful artwork
that was on display for the IASAS exhibition. The
works were simply amazing and this set a wonder-
ful tone for the large crowd on Friday to flow into
our Fine Arts Theatre for what was an incredible
evening of musical entertainment at the Festival
Concert. Our guest conductors managed to trans-
form a group of individual delegates that they met
to rehearse with only a day before into a ‘musical
machine’ and each group that performed wowed
the almost full theatre with a diverse and impres-
sive repertoire of music. This event was certainly
the artistic and musical pinnacle for this school
year at ISM.
HOST FAMILIES:
On behalf of the ATAC and Fine Arts Departments
I would like to extend a big THANK-YOU to all
families that housed IASAS delegates last week-
end. We had wonderful reports from the delegates
about how well they had been looked after and
how welcoming and enjoyable it was to be at the
convention and in Manila. Thanks to all of you for
your support of this huge event, it simply cannot
happen with your housing support.
12 March 2010
ATAC UPDATES: Please check ATAC game schedule page
on the website for updates as dates/venues can change at
short notice.
3rd Season:
Mar 12-14 Nike track meet at Bangkok
Mar 13th MS/HS Track meet at Brent (for all non Nike meet
track team members)
Mar 13th ISM Sailfish Aquathon at ISM track and pool 8am
Mar 13th Varsity/JV girls softball v Brent at ISM from Noon
Mar 14th Boys varsity softball finals ASSL League at Ateneo
Mar 19th Twilight track meet v Brent HS only at ISM 4-8pm
Mar 19th Varsity and JV softball v Brent
Mar 20 HS Badminton meet at ABC Badminton Center
Mar 20 Judo Meet at ISM Covered Court
April 7-11 IASAS (Track at SAS, Softball/Badminton at ISB)
April 10th JV Badminton at ISM
April 12th HS Academic Bowl at Brent
April 13th MS Academic Bowl at Brent
April 24th Swim meet at Brent
May 7-9 MS Touch Tournament at Kuala Lumpur
3rd Season IASAS: for those students selected to IASAS Track,
Badminton, and Softball teams please submit your passport to
ATAC office asap. We will make a copy of relevant pages
needed and return it to you if you are travelling over the up-
coming break. If you are 100% positive that you will not be
travelling please advise Joan Badiango at ATAC and we will
keep your passport for document processing over the break.
On the first day students return from the break teams fly to
IASAS events so please support the ATAC Department by
getting forms/passports etc in as early as you can. Coaches
will be announcing IASAS teams from this coming week, as
soon as you know you are in, PLEASE SUBMIT DOCUMEN-
TATION.
Mark Pekin
Athletics & Activities Director
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Elementary School Parent Bulletin 12 March 2010

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Elementary School Parent Bulletin 12 March 2010