International School Manila

ES PARENT BULLETIN
Volume 02 24 Aug 2012

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

AUG
27 29 National Holiday for National Heroes Day No Classes Wednesday Morning Student Late Start @ 8.30am Math Training Parent Session with Erma Anderson (visiting Math consultant) @ 7.30 - 9.30am, Little Theater go to page 6

From the ES Administration

Dear Elementary School Parents, OPEN HOUSE Thank you to our entire community for taking the time to come to our two Open House nights this week. We trust you were able to gain an insight into our programs in the Elementary School, and also gain a sense of what happens in your childs classroom on a daily basis. In our initial presentation, we gave an overview of five of the key philosophical underpinnings of learning and teaching in the ES, and some of the language involved. These were: Collaboration Inquiry Meta-cognition Differentiation Understanding Over the next months, we will shine a light on each of these individually, such that you gain a broader perspective of our program of learning and, more importantly, what your childs day to day learning is based upon. Each concept interconnects with the others and should not be viewed as isolated from each other. This week, we will look at the notion of collaboration. Any organization can be judged by the strength of its relationships. This is never more so than for a school. Clearly, the relationship between student and teacher is critical but equally so, the relationship the teacher has with the family helps support the targeted learning. Many of you would have had (or will do so in the next few
(Continued on page 2)

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SEPT
4 5, 12, 19, 26 7, 20 11 PTA Bearcat Welcome @ 7.30am, Lofthouse Wednesday Morning Student Late Start @ 8.30am ES Parent Bulletin ES Parent Coffee @ 7.30am, Little Theater ES Parent Coffee with John Joseph @ 8.30am, Little Theater Parent Talk with John Joseph @ 6pm, Little Theater go to page 7 Faculty In-service - No Classes

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24 Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Oct 17 Testing

Elementary School Parent Bulletin

24 August 2012

From the ES Administration

(Continued from page 1)

weeks) an initial Parent Orientation meeting with your childs class teacher as a means of providing information about your childs background, interests, cultural and linguistic context, and strengths. The aim of these meetings is to start this collaborative relationship between home and school and with this, the conversation about your childs learning.

UPDATING PARENT CONTACT INFORMATION

In order to best serve the ISM Parent Community, it is essential that information be quickly disseminated when necessary. For this reason, the accuracy of your contact details in our database is of the utmost importance. Please note that Parent Contact Information must be updated online by the parent. To make any changes or verification in contact information, please access one of your childrens data file via the ISM website (www.ismanila.org) and then under Login, click on Powerschool Public Access and enter your Username and Password. On the page that opens, click on the Demographic Update icon for changing or updating demographic information.

We also see collaboration as a necessary part of the learning process, as we know that learning is a social activity. Giving students the opportunities for them to collaborate together on certain tasks enables them to scaffold their learning for each other and build on what they already know. This said, we also acknowledge that for some students, working independently feels more comfortable and providing opportunities to accommodate for this learning preference is part of a differentiated classroom. These types of learning contexts independent and collaborative - are used within our classrooms on a regular basis, allowing all students to develop in both areas, not as an either or, but rather as a both. Mathematics Professional Learning Next week, we have a Mathematics consultant working with all the Elementary School faculty on teaching for mathematical understanding. This professional learning will give us the opportunity to build upon our Mathematics curriculum as we strive to ensure that all ISM students are equipped with high level mathematical problem solving skills and develop a strong foundation in number sense. It is this foundation in number which then allows children to access more complex conceptual mathematical understandings as they progress through their school experience at ISM. To find out more about how Mathematics is learned and taught, parents are invited to a Math workshop on Friday August 31, from 7:30 9:00am in the Little Theater.

Adam Campbell
Elementary Principal

Michael Rourke
Elementary Assistant Principal

Elementary School Parent Bulletin

24 August 2012

From the Guidance Office

All PreK-Grade 12 Parents are invited to attend the CULTURE SHOCK: Easing the Transition workshop on

Tuesday, AUG 28, 9:00-11:00 am

(Revised date due to holiday) in the Little Theatre. This is Session 1 of 4 workshops that will take place over the course of the year aimed at informing parents about the challenges and benefits of raising children in an internationally mobile, and\or culturally diverse family. In this session participants will explore the concept of culture in order to bring greater understanding to the common experience of culture shock. Strategies will be considered to help ease the transition not just for our children, but the entire family.

Elementary School Parent Bulletin

24 August 2012

Elementary School Parent Book Group for Fall 2012 A en on Parents!

Welcome back to the 201213 school year! During the rst semester the ES Counseling Department will be hos ng yet another Parent Book Group open to ALL Elementary School parents. These sessions will begin Tuesday, September25, from 7:45un l10am, and con nue each Tuesday for 8 sessions. We are excited to be reading the WholeBrainChild by Daniel Siegel and Tina Bryson. In the past we have used Siegels book Paren ngfromtheInside Out, which combines social science with neuroscience. The WholeBrainChild con nues by bringing together these two perspec ves while providing clear, easy to use strategies. Please see the announcement below to nd out more about the book:

TheWholeBrainChild:
12Revolu onaryStrategiestoNurtureYourChild'sDevelopingMind, SurviveEverydayParen ngStruggles,andHelpYourFamilyThrive Your toddler throws a tantrum in the middle of a store. Your preschooler refuses to get dressed. Your hgrader sulks on the bench instead of playing on the eld. Do children conspire to make their parents lives endlessly challenging? Noits just their developingbraincallingtheshots! In this pioneering, prac cal book, Daniel J. Siegel, neuropsychiatrist and author of the bestselling book Mindsight, and paren ng expert Tina Payne Bryson demys fy the meltdowns and aggrava on, explainingthenewscienceofhowachildsbrainiswiredandhowit matures. The upstairs brain, which makes decisions and balances emo ons,isunderconstruc onun lthemidtwen es.Andespecially in young children, the right brain and its emo ons tend to rule over thelogicofthele brain.Nowonderkidscanseemandfeelsoout of control. By applying these discoveries to everyday paren ng, you canturnanyoutburst,argument,orfearintoachancetointegrateyourchildsbrainandfostervitalgrowth. Completewithclearexplana ons,ageappropriatestrategiesfordealingwithdaytodaystruggles,andillustra ons that will help you explain these concepts to your child, The WholeBrain Child shows you how to cul vate healthy emo onalandintellectualdevelopmentsothatyourchildrencanleadbalanced,meaningful,andconnectedlives. Addi onally, check out coauthor Tina Brysons blog Paren ng Ma ers. If you are interested in joining the group, or have any ques ons, please email Derek Selander selanderd@ismanila.org. We hope to see you there!

Derek & Ce
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Elementary School Parent Bulletin

24 August 2012

IntroducingourReadingTeachingAssistants

From the PE Department

PE Welcome to the new school year from the ES PE department. We look forward to a physically active year ahead for all our students. The role of PE in the school curriculum is to help students develop the competencies and beliefs necessary for incorporating regular physical activity into their lives. Parents can play an active role in this process by making sure your child has the correct footwear and PE uniform on the days they are scheduled for PE. We also ask children to bring a full water bottle with their name on it to all PE lessons and also wear a hat for both play time and PE lessons scheduled on the ES Field. If you did not meet the PE teachers at the Open House you are always welcome to come and say hello in the ES PE office located on the first floor inside the ES gym. RECESS SUCCESS There are two green boxes in the ES Playground with sports equipment for children to use during their play time. Children simply need to hand in their school ID to a supervisor located at the green box. At the end of play, children return the borrowed equipment and collect their Student ID card. This system allows students to practice being responsible. Lastly we have a website which has a list of the activities children can become involved in and around Manila. Check out http:// sportsmanila.wikispaces.com/

We would like to introduce Nika Espinosa and Claire Drilion to our Grade 1 and 2 parents as our new Reading Teaching Assistants. Nika (G1) and Claire (G2) will be working in classrooms to support the literacy development of our students. We recognize that children learn at dierent mes and in dierent ways and our Reading TAs will bring the exibility to enhance the dieren a on of our reading strategies by oering dynamic small groups, mul sensory approaches and alterna ve strategies to reading a ainment and comprehension . While Nika and Claire will be suppor ng learning in every classroom, they will also be iden fying students who would benet from a short but intensive small group approach to enhance reading skills. The parents of these children will be contacted and invited to a coee morning next Friday morning to answer ques ons, to talk more about reading at home and to enhance out .

From the Art Department

ES ART NEED YOUR PAPER! Newspaper, packing paper, magazines, wrapping paper. Dont throw it away we will recycle it into some amazing artworks! Thanks Your ES Art Team 5

ES PE Department.

Elementary School Parent Bulletin

24 August 2012

Elementary School Parent Bulletin

24 August 2012

Elementary School Parent Bulletin

24 August 2012

Elementary School Parent Bulletin

24 August 2012

From the ATAC Office

The 1st season practice schedule which runs from Aug 14th to Oct 12th is now posted on notice boards around school and is also now available on the ATAC blog. http://atac.ismonline.org/schedules/hs/ Elementary school soccer tryouts for 1st season teams which compete in the RIFA festivals have concluded, teams have been selected and the first festival was played last weekend. We had over 1000people at ISM for the Midgets E and C festival last Saturday morning and afternoon. More information about our ES soccer teams, the RIFA festivals etc can be found here http://atac.ism-online.org/atac/1st-season/essoccer-rifa-league-festivals/ and flyers have been posted on ES notice board and on the notice board located under the tent at the ES field. Middle school soccer tryouts for 1st season teams which compete in the RIFA festivals have concluded and teams have been selected, see information link below for MS soccer teams information. More information about our MS boys and girls soccer teams can be found here http://atac.ismonline.org/atac/1st-season/ms-soccer-rifa-league-festivals/ The next RIFA League 7 a side festivals will be held on the dates/venues below: Saturday Sept 15th and Sept 22nd Midgets C teams (C1, C2, C3 and C4 Coach Eric/Chris/ Kleng and Jays teams) at ISM kick-off at 8 noon. Midgets E teams (E1 and E2 Coach Popoy and Coach Francis) at CSA kick off at 8am Midgets G teams (G1 and G2 Coach Mike and Coach Isas teams) at British School Manila kick-off at 8am. MS girls festival at ISM 1pm Finals will be played at Ateneo on Oct 13th for teams that qualify. Permission slips will be issued to all players via the coaches at training prior to each festival. Please consult the ES and MS links above to get the latest information. The All year round program for Sailfish, Tae Kwon Do, Judo, Aikido, Table Tennis, Chess, Gymnastics and Wall Climbing started last week from Monday Aug 13th. For detailed information about our Sailfish Swim Team program please visit the Sailfish blog and get in contact with Coach Andy. Students can join our all year round teams at any time, just go and talk with the coaches at the venues after school if you are interested. Our annual HS Friday twilight opening season volleyball matches will be on today Aug 24th vs Brent. This will be a great chance to come out and show your support for our ISM varsity teams. Volleyball matches will be in the HS and MS gyms with Varsity volleyball starting at 4:15pm in the HS gym and JV teams playing in the MS gym also from 4:15pm.
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A great way to stay in touch with the ISM ATAC program is to subscribe via RSS feed to the ATAC blog and also to follow via twitter (see twitter feed on the blog home page). Each Monday I will post the weeks happenings and highlight important events for students and parents information on the ATAC blog and in the regular Friday parent bulletins. GAME SCHEDULE PDF: (access to game schedule information) Information about all mid-week/weekend fixtures for ISM teams can be found via the ATAC blog. Please note the game schedule does change often due to involvement with many local schools so please check the page regularly to find out the latest information of where and when the Bearcats teams are playing. Click on schedules tab or the Bearcat logo to be directed to the http:// powerschool.ismanila.org/public/ You will need your power school user name and password to access the game schedule pdf. HS Student registration for ATAC activities: (new for school year 12-13) A Google doc registration is now available for all HS students who will take part in any ATAC seasonal sports teams, MUN and Cultural Convention programs. Please take the time to complete this online registration for activities that you plan on joining next school year. Please access the form via the HS Student Registration tab found under the Helpful Shortcuts bar on the ATAC blog home page. *please note this is for HS students only and you must use your school email address to access the link. Personal gmail or hotmail addresses will not allow you to access the page. BEARCAT DEN: http://atac.ism-online.org/bearcat-den/ Our Bearcat Den is up and running and open for business, please drop by to check out the range of Bearcat products. We have a great team of volunteers who run the den and are always looking for more people to help out. If you are interested in joining a fantastic group please contact Melanie Ball at melaniehball@gmail.com our volunteer coordinator. We have a new range of dri fit t-shirts now available along with new Bearcat bags Regular Opening Hours for the Bearcat Den: Wed and Fridays from 11:30am 1:00pm and each afternoon from 2:304pm. Have a great year at the Home of the Bearcats!

Mark Pekin
Athletic Director

Elementary School Parent Bulletin

24 August 2012

From the Superintendents Office

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Elementary School Parent Bulletin

24 August 2012

From the Operations & Security Office

Car Stickers The car stickers for the school year 2012/2013 are available from the security office. Each ISM family will be issued one vehicle sticker free of charge. Any additional stickers will be issued following payment of Php100.00 to the cashiers office. For vehicles already displaying an existing sticker, parents should submit a completed renewal form with a copy of the current LTO official receipt. For new vehicles, parents are reminded that a copy of the vehicles certificate of registration and a current official receipt need to be submitted with the application. Applications for vehicles registered with companies or other institutions should be supported by a letter of assignment. In order to facilitate the easy recognition of authorized cars at the gates, the stickers should be affixed to the top right corner of the windshield. Further to this, old ISM stickers issued in previous years should be removed. Vehicles not displaying this years car sticker will not be allowed access from August 31, 2012. ID Cards Parent IDs Parent IDs issued in previous school year will continue to be valid for the new school year 2012/2013. Parents who require replacement school IDs due to loss or damage can acquire these from the Security Office upon payment of Php100.00 to the Cashier. School Passes School passes issued to parents employees and representatives need to be replaced for this school year. As of August 31, 2012 the dark blue bordered passes issued for the school year 2011/2012 will be invalid. Each family will be given two free school passes. Additional school passes may be obtained after paying a processing fee of Php100.00 each to the Cashiers Office. Visitors Passes All visitors must secure a pass from the guardhouse at Gate 3. Before entry will be allowed, a telephone check will be made with the relevant office to confirm the visitors business within the school. Visitors will need to surrender a photo-ID upon entry to campus. Drop Off/Pick Up Passes For the school year 2012/13 we are introducing a new pick up and drop off pass that can be issued at Gate 3. This is for non-regular drivers who are entering school to drop off or collect visitors or members of our community but who do not intend to park within the campus. Our regular checks to confirm the identity of drivers and their purpose for entering the campus will continue to be made, but we will not retain a photo-ID in return for the issued pass. The use of these new passes will avoid delays at the Gate 1 exit and reduce traffic congestion at busy times. Security staff directions Our security team is endeavoring to make the school as safe and secure an environment as possible for all members of our community. We ask that everybody cooperate with us in this important task. In particular, all those entering our campus are requested to comply with any directions given to them by members of our guard force. If you are confused or unclear as to the purpose of such instructions, please seek clarification from the security office. Please note that it is the parents responsibility to advise their staff accordingly. Thank you for your cooperation. We are looking forward to another successful year at International School Manila. Best wishes,

Michael Flynn
Director of Operations and Security
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Elementary School Parent Bulletin

24 August 2012

From the PTA Office WELCOME TO ISM

On Tuesday,September4at7:30 am in the Lo house, the ISM Parent Teacher Associa on is holding a Bearcat Welcome for all families new to ISM

NOT JUST ANOTHER COFFEE MORNING . . . ITS A BEARCAT COFFEE MORNING!!

WhatisaBearcat? The ISM school mascot, a symbol of our community spirit.. We welcome our new families and encourage them to get to know each other and to learn more about our school and about Manila:

will learn about some local social and interna onal organiza ons; You can meet and greet our PTA and our Bearcat Den team and volunteer You
(which is always well appreciated and needed) for school ac vi es. We also invite all returning parents and teachers to come and meet the new fam ilies and to enjoy a great opportunity to see old friends again. Looking forward to seeing you all!

Tuesday,September4,2012 7:30to9:00amattheISMLo House

Ques ons? Email ism_pta@yahoo.com
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Elementary School Parent Bulletin

24 August 2012

ILLAM BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL

Registration for the upcoming baseball/softball season will take place on August 25 and September 1, from 9am to 4:00pm at the Colegio San Agustin (CSA) Baseball-Softball field (located inside Dasmarinas Village). We will also have a special on-campus registration for ISM families at the ISM Bearcat Welcome on September 4, 7:30-9am at the ISM Lofthouse. For 36 years, the International Little League Association of Manila (ILLAM) has shared the love of baseball with the ISM community through its T-ball, Coach Pitch, Softball and Baseball programs. A volunteer association, ILLAM is affiliated with Little League Philippines and Little League International Inc., an American organization based in Williamsport, Pennsylvania which handles and supports Little League baseball and softball programs globally and hosts the Little League World Series annually every August. The ILLAM baseball season runs from September through February. Practices are typically once a week after school, and games are usually scheduled on Saturdays. The registration fee of P6,000 covers uniforms, field rentals and umpire fees as well as yearbooks and trophies/medals for each player. For inquiries, please contact Noela Lagajino at 0912-315-5345 or email us at myillam@hotmail.com.

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