International School Manila

ES PARENT BULLETIN
Volume 07 26 November 2009

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER From the ES Administration

Dear Elementary School Parents,
NOV
Thank you to those parents who came to our Parent Cof-
27 School Holiday for Eid’l Adha - No School
fee last week. This was a good opportunity for us to dis-
cuss our new form of classroom communication focusing
30 School Holiday for Bonifacio Day - No School
on student learning, in the form of blogs, which you can
DEC read more about on page 2 of this Parent Bulletin. Jen
Smith, our IT teacher, explained the purpose for our blogs,
Wednesday Morning Student Late Start @ the security measures that are in place, and how you can
2, 9, 16 become involved through posting comments. The second
8.30am
topic we discussed at the parent coffee morning was as-
4 ES Concert, Fine Arts Theatre sessment. Parents were presented with the big picture of
assessment: why we do it and how it links with our ISM
Registration of AFAC Activities for 2nd Semes- Assessment Policy. Examples of all of the various types of
7 - 16 assessment we use on a regular basis were then shared and
ter
discussed.
ES AFAC Concert @ 3pm, Little Theatre &
8 Next week is our ES Music concert “Sing Me A Story”
AMR Hall
which will take place in the Fine Arts Theater on Decem-
ber 4, 8:30 a.m. for ECLC, Grade one and two and 10:30
11 Last Day for AFAC
for Grade three and four. We look forward to seeing you
there and enjoying our student perform.
Early Student Release @ 12pm
16
1st Semester Report Cards Sent Home Yours in Education,

17 - Jan 4 School Holiday

Simon Gillespie Michael Rourke
ES Principal ES Assistant Principal
Elementary School Parent Bulletin 26 November 2009

From the Art Department

Grade Four Art
We are in need of recycled ob-
An ‘Exhibition of Moods’ will soon be taking place. Yet to be arranged, most jects to use for our third grade
probably a week before the December break and in the Grade Four Area. We will Form and Construction Unit, as
let you know as soon as we do! Students are looking forward to parents taking a soon as possible - SMALL objects
casual walk through this interactive exhibition. When the time comes you will be
which have the shapes of
able to visit any time of day at your leisure. The students will have created ‘Mood
spheres, cubes, cylinders, pyra-
Paintings’. They achieve this through specific choice of color and subject matter.
mids etc. For example, bottle
Right now the mood they are attempting to portray is TOP SECRET! Parents,
Teachers and Students will be invited to take a guess by placing a label in an en- tops, toilet roll holders, small per-
velope. At the end of this exhibition time students will tally up the results for their fume boxes etc. Please send in to
own work to discover just how successful they were. Watch this space for more Helen Arnold. Many thanks.
info!

From the IT Department

All elementary teachers will be using blogs to replace the class newsletter that would normally go home on the
3rd Friday of every month. These teacher blogs will provide a "window" into your child's classroom. Blogging is
a new skill for many teachers so we ask that you please be patient as our teachers develop this new skill. You
can expect 4 posts within a month. You can access all elementary teacher blogs by going to http://es.ism-
online.org or by typing the teacher's last name and first initial followed by ism-online.org. (ex. smithj.ism-
online.org)

Please know that your child's safety is at the forefront of our

Why Blogs?
* More frequent updates
* A "window" into your child's classroom
* Opportunities to interact with class
* Easy to share with family and friends
For safety
* we only use students' first names
* names are not matched to a photo
* comments are moderated
Your Role
* Be patient with teachers
* Interact with class by adding comments-
please do not add your last name
when commenting.
* Visit blog frequently
minds. For this reason, we only use students' first names and if im-
ages are used, names will not be matched to the image. You will
be able to interact with the class by adding comments to the
posts. When commenting, please do not use students' names.
Teachers moderate all comments to make sure the content is ap-
propriate and safe. It is also important to know that reminders, field
trip information, and time sensitive information will continue to be
emailed out to you. This type of information will not be posted on
the blog.
We hope that you will view these blogs frequently. To do this, you
will want to set up an RSS feed. I recommend watching the online
video "RSS in Plain English". (You can Google that title). It will pro-
vide a brief explanation on RSS feeds. Please feel free to contact
me with any questions.
Jen Smith
ES IT Coordinator
smithj@ismanila.org
http://smithj.ism-online.org
2
Elementary School Parent Bulletin 26 November 2009

From the PE Department

ES Sports Day.

The Elementary School Annual Sports Day is scheduled for February 19th. This event is an all day event in-
volving all ES classes. Our focus is on having fun being active, cooperation, and sportsmanship. One of our
Physical Education Standards is to value physical activity for health, enjoyment, challenge, self expression,
and social interaction. Our Sports Day is designed to provide opportunities for students to make progress to-
wards the attainment of this standard. This is a fantastic full day event. There will be no regular classes or
specialist classes on the day. Classroom teachers will take their classes to a variety of challenging and fun
activities throughout the day. Specialist teachers and support staff will be the experts at each station to as-
sist each team. There will be an opening and closing ceremony as well. All parents are invited to attend and
support your child on the day by participating in the games, taking photos, and assisting as required. E.g.
turning jump ropes!

Students will also be given the opportunity to design a team logo and name to be printed onto their own
‘class t-shirt’ over the next month. These shirts have a huge visual impact and promote great team spirit
(and it also makes it easier to keep track of each class!). Although it’s not compulsory, we strongly encour-
age you to purchase one in order to make this day even more memorable.

Each child will be automatically billed to their school in December account 330 pesos for a T-shirt.

You will receive more information about the specific activities and facilities closer to the event. If you
would like to assist in the organizing of this event or on the day please contact me directly through the ES
Office or school e-mail at pekina@ismanila.org

Amanda Pekin
ES Physical Education
Click here for addresses for kids’ sports in Manila.

From the PTA Office From the Security Office

ISM PTA General Assembly

Paskong Pinoy
– a Filipino Christmas
Celebration
Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009
from 7:30 – 9:00am (Little Theater)

Featuring Ballet Manila in “Kutitap” (Sparkle)

under the choreography of Osias Barroso.
A traditional Filipino Advent breakfast follows!

3
Elementary School Parent Bulletin 26 November 2009

From Go Green
PCF, TRASHEBOLSAS and
INVISIBLE will be selling
their recycled products in
school that week.
Sales (and demos) will take
place:
- Tuesday 1 Dec outside F.A.T
11.30-5pm (PCF, TRASHE-
BOLSAS)
- Wednesday 2-Fri 4 Dec outside the canteen 11-3.30pm
(INVISIBLE, PCF, TRASHEBOLSAS)
This is a wonderful opportunity to not only support these
sustainable livelihood projects, but to get some Christ-
mas shopping done too!
For further information about these organisa-
tions (and links to their web-
sites), please check
out www.ism-
online.org/gogreen
Thank you for sup-
porting this event.

Are we really living in THE AGE OF STUPID?

Make up your own mind on Tuesday, 1st Decem-
ber in the F.A.T
THE AGE OF STUPID is a 90-minute drama-
documentary-animation hybrid starring Oscar-
nominated Pete Postlethwaite as an old man living
in the devastated world of 2055, watching archive
footage from 2008 and asking: why didn’t we stop
climate change while we had the chance?
The film is supported globally by Greenpeace,
Friends of the Earth, Move ON and Tck Tck Tck
and has been screened for the United Nations,
Center of American Progress, EPA, The World
Bank, the UK Parliament, the European Union,
and the Scottish, Welsh, Swedish, Australian and
Dutch parliaments.
For more info, check out www.ageofstupid.net

4
Elementary School Parent Bulletin 26 November 2009

From the ATAC Office

PRADA
TAE KWON DO
CHAMPIONSHIPS

GOLD Brannon Tanaka Come join in this fun activity!

Grade 2 All ISM community are invited -
SILVER Hong Jae Jeon Students, mums and dads of all grades!

Grade 10
BRONZE Sae Hoon Kim
I S M S W I M AT H O N
Grade 11 W Saturday, December 5th
Agustin Rovira NE E!
T at ISM Pool
DA
Grade 9 from 2.30pm
SEMIFINALS Nicholas Labadan Visit www.ismanila.org/atac/sailfish.htm for details and
Grade 4 pledge forms, or contact Andy Astfalck, Head Coach
at astfalcka@ismanila.org
CONGRATULATIONS!
Part of the proceeds goes to charity.

5
Elementary School Parent Bulletin 26 November 2009

ES After School Activities

ALL After School Activities for the first semester will end on the week of December 7- 11, 2009.
If your child wishes to either continue with the same activity or take a different activity for the
second semester he/she MUST register again. Registration period is on December 2 until
December 16.

NEW ACTIVITIES for Second Semester

Animarvelous (for grade 3-4, every Thursday)

“Every animal knows more than you do.”—Native American
Proverb

Animals are marvelous, amazing and spectacular. There are

so many more words and ways to describe them. Do you also
think animals are wonderful? Then this activity is for you.

We will meet once a week to discuss relevant topics like

“Responsible Pet Ownership”, “Lending a Hand to Animals”
and “Extraordinary Animals”.

Together we will create flyers and posters with our important

information to share with the rest of the Elementary School.
There are some great organizations in the Philippines who
help animals. We will design a plan and donate to at least one
of them.

Everything we learn we will share with our classroom friends

and other grade levels and they will learn from us.

Circus Skills
(for grade 2-4, every Monday and Thursday)

Ever wanted to run away with the circus? Now is your chance
to learn some skills seen in the circus including: juggling,
clowning, unicycles, Chinese YoYos and basic tumbling rou-
tines. This is about having fun and learning some new skills.
No previous experience needed. We will teach you all you
need to know. Patience and persistence are essential!

6
 ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
2snd SEMESTER REGISTRATION (SY 2009-2010)
IMPORTANT DATES
November 26 Release of Registration Form January 21 First Day of After School Activities
December 2-16 Registration of Activities May 28 Last Day for 2nd Semester
Gr
ACTIVITY Gr Level Days Venue Fee
ACTIVITY Level Days Venue Fee
ARTS AND CRAFTS MUSIC (cont'd)
Basic Creative Sculpting 1–4 T Th Rm 2126 P 1500 Strings Advanced 1–4 MF Rm 1136 $50
Cartooning 1–4 MF Rm 2126 P 1500
Wind Instrument
Design Tech 2–4 MF Rm 2126 P 1500 T Th
Flute, Clarinet, Trumpet, 3–4 TBA $50
Gifts Class 2–4 T Th Rm 2126 P 1500 Beginner
Saxophone
Painting & Drawing 1–4 T Th Rm 2126 P 1500
SPORTS
Fun with Paper, Paints &
1–4 MF Rm 2126 P 1500 Aquatics - Learn to Swim
Crafts 1–4 MF Pool None
(Beginner)
DANCE Aquatics - Learn to Swim
1–4 T Th Pool None
Ballet 1 (2:15-3:15) 1–4 MF Dance Studio P 1500 (Advanced)
Ballet 2 (2:15-3:15) 2–4 T Th Dance Studio P 1500 Basketball A 1–2 MF ES Gym None
Ballet 3 (3:15-4:15) 3–4 MF Dance Studio P 1500 Basketball B 3–4 T Th ES Gym None
Ballet 4 (3:15-4:15) 4 TTh Dance Studio P 1500 Chess (Beginner) 1–4 MF ES Canteen None
Jazz A (2:15-3:15) 4 TW Dance Studio P 1500 Chess (Advanced) 1–4 T Th ES Canteen None
Tap 1 & 2 (2:15-3:15) 1–4 WF AMR/DS P 1500 Gymnastics A (Beginner) 1–3 T Th MS Gym None
Tap 3 (3:15-4:15) 1–4 WF Dance Studio P 1500 Gymnastics B (Advanced) 1–4 MF MS Gym None
Tap 4 (M 3:15-4:15 F 4:15-
1–4 MF Dance Studio P 1500 Soccer A 1–2 T Th ES Field None
5:15)
Tap 5 (4:15-5:15) 1–4 MW Dance Studio P 1500 Soccer B 3–4 MF ES Field None
LANGUAGES Table Tennis 1–4 MF ES 3rd Level None
Chinese 1–4 MF Rm 2092 TBA Table Tennis 1–4 T Th ES 3rd Level None
Spanish (Beginner) 1–4 T Th Rm 2092 TBA Tennis A 3–4 T Th Tennis Court None
Tennis Munchkin 2A 1–3 F Tennis Court None
MARTIAL ARTS Wall Climbing A 1–4 M MS Gym None
Aikido 1–4 M F / T Th ES 2nd Level None Wall Climbing B 1–4 T MS Gym None
Judo A 1–4 T Th Martial Arts Area None Wall Climbing C 1–4 Th MS Gym None
Judo B 3–4 MF Martial Arts Area None Wall Climbing D 1–4 F MS Gym None
3rd Level Open
Tae Kwon Do A 1–4 T Th Martial Arts Area None Circus Skills (NEW) 2–4 MTh None
Area
Tae Kwon Do B 3–4 MF Martial Arts Area None OTHERS
MUSIC Bamboo Shoots 4 W Rm 2119 None
ES Choir 1–4 T Th Rm 1167 None Animarvelous (NEW) 3–4 Th Rm 1168 None
Strings Beginner 1–4 MF Rm 1126 $50
Strings Beginner 1–4 T Th Rm 1126 $50 To get the complete description of all Afterschool Activities
Strings Intermediate 1–4 T Th Rm 1136 $50 please visit www.ismanila.org

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - AFAC's Copy- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
REGISTRATION FORM (2nd SEMESTER SY 2009-2010)

NAME OF STUDENT: __________________________________ GRADE: ________ HOMEROOM: ______________________

Last Name First Name Teacher's Name

ACTIVITY DAY (s)

Parent’s Signature: _____________________________
PLEASE SUBMIT SIGNED REGISTRATION FORM ON OR BEFORE DECEMBER 16, 2009 AT THE AFAC OFFICE (RM. 1031)
For activities with fee, please let us know whether you
want to pay in cash or charge it to the account.
 Will pay fees directly to cashier
o Please attach copy of Official Receipt to this form then submit to the ES
AFAC Office (Room 1031).
 Pls. include fees in the child’s school account
o I authorize the school to charge my child’s account any fees that may be
required for the activity.
o I agree to call or write the ES AFAC Office regarding any activity
cancellations by February 19 , 2010.
o I understand that no refunds will be made for activity cancellations made
after February 19, 2010.
Date: _________________ Contact no: ____________________

Number: Received by: Date: