Parent Bulletin Issue 1 SY1415

8/12/2019 Parent Bulletin Issue 1 SY1415

1/11

AUGUST

MIDDLE SCHOOLMIDDLE SCHOOLMIDDLE SCHOOL

ISSUE # 1

SY 2014 2015

WEEK OF:

AUGUST 11 to 15

Weekly Publication for Middle School Parents

Friday BulletinInside this issue:

Events & Acvies:

SEPTEMBER

Dear Middle School Parents,

Welcome to the start of the 2014/2015 school year. We have had an awesome

rst two days in Middle School, it has been a great opportunity to begin the year

and get to know our students and begin to build strong connecons and relaon-

ships that will enhance student learning throughout the year. As we have walked

around and visited classrooms these rst two days, we have observed a lot of

smiling faces and students engaging in opportunies to get to know each otherand to learn about their various courses and the learning they will undertake

throughout the school year.

This past two weeks we have been geng ready to start the year. We spent me

with our new teachers orienng them to life in Manila, along with all the various

systems we have in place at ISM. We then spent three days with all faculty

geng everything set up. A major area we will be focusing on this school year is

the implementaon of our new grading system. We introduced these changes at

our May parent coee last year, and we will also speak about this at our MS par-

ent coee in September. Teachers will be sharing the new approach with stu-

dents and we will give you class specic informaon at our upcoming Back to

School night which is scheduled forWednesday, August 27 from 5:00 -7:00

p.m. A separate email will be sent about the schedule for Back to School Night

and what to expect. Please note that we will not be opening our online grade

books through Power School unl the beginning of September (we normally open

them up in the second week of school) to allow us me to ensure our new system

is up and running smoothly.

We would like to say a special Bearcat WELCOME to all of our new families to

ISM. We hope that your transion goes smoothly and we invite you to meet with

us or our Counselor team should the need arise. We will be in close contact withour new students helping them to learn all about their new learning environment

and to support friendship development.

OnMonday, August 11we will be having an acvity and club fair in the Lo House

from2:00 -3:00 p.m. Each grade level will come up and check out what is on

oer for Aer School acvies this semester. Sign up will be available begin-

ningThursday, August 14following the link of the MS Acvity blog (hp://ms-

acvies.ism-online.org). Aer School acvies will ocially begin onAugust 28.

Superintendents Oce

Athlecs &Acvies

Sailsh News

Aer-School Acvies

ISM Upcoming Events

11 Club Fair

22 School Holiday

27 Back-to-School Night

8-12 FCD

21 Naonal Holiday

23 Parent Coee

14 New Parent Coee

Club Fair 2

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Venue: Lofthouse

Date: 11th August 2014

Times:

Grade 5 - 2.00 P.M.Grade 6 - 2.15 P.M.

Grade 7 - 2.40 P.M.

Grade 8 - 2.40 P.M.

Parents - 3.00 P.M. - 3.30 P.M.

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Contnuaton

We invite all new parents to a New Parent Coee on August 14 from 7:45 -9:00a.m. in the Lile Theater -

this will be an informal opportunity for us to meet with you, the counselor team and other parents to begin

to network and to connue to nd out all you need to know about our school and community.

We hope everyone has a great start to the school year and we are looking forward to a great year of learning

in the Middle School.

Yours in Educaon,

Simon Gillespie, Middle School Principal

Amanda Pekin, Middle School Assistant Principal


3/11

Dear Parents,

Greengs and welcome to the school year 2014/15 Internaonal School Manila. I hope that these weeks of summer vacaonhave given you the opportunity to enjoy some family me together. As I am beginning to realize myself with my son and

daughter having just graduated from ISM and preparing to go o to university children grow up far too quickly!

I want to take this opportunity to remind you of some of the support services and campus procedures to ensure an orderly

and ecient school start. I hope you understand that, in such a large community, it is essenal for us to establish certain

agreements in order to make things easier for everyone.

School Oce hours Monday Friday, 7 am 4 pm. Note that the Cashiers Oce will close at 3pm to allow for the daily

bookkeeping.

Uniform Shop

The details of our full range of uniform items, along with prices, can be viewed on the ISM website and are available for in-

specon and purchase at the ISM Uniform Shop on the Plaza Level. For those students needing to try items on or requiring

measurements for alteraons a ng room will be in operaon in the Fine Arts Theatre changing room 1123 unl the end of

August. The Uniform Shop hours of operaon are detailed below.

Extended days from July 24 to August 29, 2014

Monday Friday, 7 am to 4 pm

Regular hours start the week of September 1, 2014

Tuesdays and Fridays, 7 am to 4 pm

Smartcards (IDs)

All students will be provided with a Smartcard ID which contains a smart chip. This ID can be loaded with cash through the

on-site kiosks located in front of the canteen and near the ATM, online or at the main cashier located in the Business Oce.

Guidelines for loading are online at www.ismanila.org under Student Services.

The smart cards can be used for making purchases in the Canteen, Bearcat Den, copy and print in the library, purchasing ck-

ets for school performances and for accessing MS/HS lockers, therefore it is important that students carry their IDs at all

mes.

Parents may obtain a Smartcard ID through the Security Oce at a charge of php 250.00.

Canteen

Parents can sign up for prepaid meals for Elementary School children. The Urban Chef (Internaonal Cuisine) and Yogi Chef

(Internaonal Vegetarian Cuisine) oces have been moved to the ES Canteen, please proceed to their oces for sign -ups.

Cost for lunch is Php100.00. You may refer to the ISM website for addional informaon on the canteen concessionaires and

services.

We encourage all MS/HS students to use their ID cards for payments in the canteen. This will allow parents to monitor stu-

dent purchases through the Campuscard website and it will also speed up lines in the canteen during peak mes.

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Bearcat Den

We invite all to visit the newly renovated Bearcat Den. The Den will be open from Monday -Friday from 7am -4pm. The

Den will accept cash and smartcard ID (debit card) as modes of payment. We apologize but the Den does not process taxexempons, all those eligible must process documents through the BIR on their own.

Bus Service

In an eort to make the use of our bus service an aracve opon for student travel, we have, over the years, worked with

our service providers to keep the fees down to a compeve rate. Consistent with this we are pleased to announce that

there will be no increase to the bus rates for the start of School Year 14/15. Details of the bus fees are available on the ISM

website and from the Transportaon Oce.

When we invited T Shule Service into the school, we stressed the importance of making the bus service an aracve opon

for travel between home and school for as many students as possible. They have demonstrated a willingness to explore ways

in which they can, within the constraints of running an ecient and praccal service for the majority of riders, provide a via-ble transport soluon for those who are interested in using the school bus service. Of course, there will always be certain

locaons or needs that cannot be provided for, but if the oered bus service does not at rst appear to address a parcular

need, in regard to locaon or roung, parents are encouraged to discuss this with the Transport Oce sta.

I urge all parents to consider making use of the ISM Bus Service for their students. Should parents wish to discuss in more

detail the school busing arrangements for the new school year, or they have any parcular concerns or needs they can con-

tact the ISM Transport Coordinator, Ms. Ruth Estella, on 840-8541 or email Ruth at [email protected].

Billing

Billing statements are available for online viewing on the School website to facilitate access. A user ID and password have

already been provided to exisng parents and are available for every new parent. Parents are advised to maintain an up-to

-

date email address for billing informaon and to view the online billing at least monthly for up to date charges. Please read

carefully the School Fees and Payment Schedule on the web. As was the case last school year, there will be no re -enrollment

deposit. Instead, we expect all deparng families to complete the WITHDRAWAL NOTIFICATION FORM on or before May 8,

2015. Failure to do so will lead to a deducon of $1,000.00 from the Facilies Upgrade Deposit.

Payments

Payments may be in cash, check or through wire transfer in any of the BPI, HSBC, and Cibank branches. Please make sure

that the student ID number and the name of the student for whom the payment is being made is indicated on

the deposit slip, check, or in the bank instrucon for wire transfer to ensure proper recording, and provide a

copy of the validated deposit slip / conrmaon receipt to Treasury Department. Take note of the corresponding

bank charges by each bank for wire transfers and over the counter transacons. Contact Treasury Oce at 840 -8506 if you

have quesons.

Operaons and Security

Access and parking within the campus are important security and safety issues. For the well-being of all members of the ISM

community, those entering the school campus are requested to take note of the informaon and procedures outlined below.

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Please note that Gate 2 may only be used by those drivers and passengers who have an ISM ID card and who are in a vehicle

displaying a valid ISM vehicle scker.

Alternavely, vehicles entering through Gate 3 may park in the covered car park. The spaces reserved for parent-driven cars

should only be used by those vehicles which are driven by parents themselves. Vehicles in which parents are traveling, but

which are driven by a driver, should not use these spaces. Rather, they should park elsewhere in the covered car park or

make use of the outside spaces next to the power center.

Visitors to ISM must enter through Gate 3. There is an area for short-stay visitor parking near Gate 1.

The Pedestrian Gate

The pedestrian gate is located in the perimeter fence mid-way between Gate 1 and Gate 2. There is a paved area between

the road and the perimeter fence, allowing easy access to the gate. The pedestrian gate is solely for the entry of members of

the ISM Community at the beginning of the school day. It will only be open between 7:00 am and 7:45 am (8:00 am to 8:45am on Wednesdays). Due to parking restricons, and in the interests of security, it will not be open in the aernoon for pick-

ups. During the me it is open, it will be under the supervision of members of the ISM Guard Force.

Drivers should stop adjacent to the paved area and students should alight from the right side of their vehicle. The driver

should then move o, clearing the space for other vehicles dropping o students. Under no circumstances should a student

be dropped o from the middle lane. This is dangerous as the student would need to walk in front of another vehicle. Driv-

ers are reminded that trac regulaons forbid parking on the roads around ISM. Therefore, vehicles should only be stopping

for the brief me it takes for a student to alight. Drivers must not wait for anybody to return to the vehicle.

Drop O/Pick Up Passes

Following their introducon in 2012/13, we will be connuing the use of pick up and drop o passes at Gate 3. This is for non-regular drivers who are entering school to drop o or collect visitors or members of our community but who do not intend

to park within the campus. Our regular checks to conrm the identy of drivers and their purpose for entering the campus

will connue 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 trac congeson at busy mes.

Vehicle checks

The pracce of inspecng vehicles will connue. During o-peak hours all vehicles will be checked before they are allowed

to enter the campus.

During peak hours (drop o and pick-up mes), all vehicles without valid sckers and randomly selected vehicles with sck-

ers will be asked to undergo an examinaon.

Whether an examinaon is conducted or not, it is important that the security sta at the gates are able to idenfy the occu-

pants of vehicles entering the campus; therefore IDs must be clearly displayed. Vehicles with nted windows must roll down

windows to allow a clear view of the interior of the vehicle.

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Drivers, Helpers and Bodyguards

Drivers, helpers and bodyguards should not wait on campus for students throughout the school day. Aer dropping o stu-

dents they should exit the school grounds and not return earlier than 30 minutes before dismissal me. Those who repeat-edly fail to comply with the regulaon will have their access privilege suspended.

Only those vehicles carrying parents or other people with business within the school will be allowed to return to the campus

before the scheduled pick-up me.

There are designated areas for unaccompanied drivers, yayas, helpers and security escorts to wait for parents and students.

Unless specically authorized, they may not enter any other area. In the interest of security, and to prevent congeson at the

pedestrian entrances to the covered parking area, parents are requested to emphasize to their employees the importance of

cooperang with the security sta and remaining in the appropriate areas.

Firearms

All members of the ISM community are reminded that it is strictly forbidden for rearms to be brought onto the campus. Thisincludes concealed weapons carried by bodyguards for close protecon. Any person arriving at the school with a rearm

should inform the gate guard, and arrangements will be made for the weapon to be safely and securely stored during the

visitors stay.

Security sta direcons

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 parcular, all those entering our campus are requested

to comply with any direcons given to them by members of our guard force.

If you are confused or unclear as to the purpose of such instrucons, please seek claricaon from the security oce. Pleasenote that it is the parents responsibility to advise their sta accordingly.

Thank you for your cooperaon. We are looking forward to another great year at Internaonal School Manila.

Best wishes,

DAVID TOZE

Superintendent

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8/11

Welcome to SY 14-15 Bearcats and a special welcome to all our new families! The ATAC (Athlecs/Acvies) Department

hopes you sele in quickly to enjoy all that ISM and the Philippines has to oer.

Parents and students, please take some me to peruse the ATAC blog (hp://atac.ism

-online.org/

) as

it has a wide varie-

ty of informaon and links to our sports and acvies program. If you have any quesons regarding the compeve pro-

gram of sports at ISM aer reading the informaon on the blog, please send an email to [email protected] and I will

endeavor to assist you as best I can.

Informaon about 1st season sports (Volleyball, Soccer and Cross Country) was given at the new student orientaon and

at school assemblies to all students. If you are trying out for teams, you must aend all tryout sessions to ensure coaches

can gain an accurate assessment of your ability.

The ATAC program began with tryouts for HS 1st season (volleyball/soccer and cross country) teams Friday, August 7 and

8 and tryouts will connue next week August 11 and 12.

MS tryouts for our 1st season teams start next week August 11, 12 and 13. Flyers are posted on noce boards around

school and on the schedules pages on the ATAC blog. Please note any grade 8 boy or girl interested in playing soccer who

is born '00 must aend HS tryout sessions. Grade 8 soccer players born '00 are too old to play in the MS soccer compe-

on and thus you must tryout for the JV girls soccer or the Aspirants boys soccer teams. The age rule is only applicable for

soccer! All grade 8's were advised of this at their assembly.

ES Soccer Rifa Fesval Teams:ES soccer players in grade 1-4 will have their tryouts for the Rifa Fesval compeon

teams - August 11, 12 and 13 at the ES eld. Parents please note that students need to aend all three sessions at the ES

eld. Coaches will be there to help them register and get started. See more detailed informaon about the ES Soccer Fes-

vals at this link:hp://atac.ism-online.org/atac/1st-season/es-soccer-rifa-league-fesvals/.Informaon yers are also

posted on the ES noce board and will be posted under the big tent at the ES eld.

The AFAC (Aer School Acvies) program has a wide variety of recreaonal/experienal oerings for ES and MS stu-

dents. Informaon and online registraon can be accessed via the ES and MS AFAC blogs. AFAC programs for ES/MS

begin onAugust 28th.

New Bearcat Den! Drop by our fantasc new spirit store to meet Rica

and Francine and give them a big Bearcat welcome. There is a range of

new products and items to purchase including items from our service

partners.

Each week I will post a new arcle on the ATAC blog and include it intheFriday divisional bullens with current informaon about ATAC hap-

penings and upcoming sports matches.

Have a great year at the home of the Bearcats!

Regards,

Mark Pekin

Director of Athlecs/Acvies8

MS boys A1 and A2 (born 01-02) and

MS girls soccer players: Please note

your tryouts on Monday & Tuesday

(Aug 11-12)are on tennis courts at the

roof. Soccer cleats are not allowed.

Please bring your PE/running shoes.

Your nal tryout onWednesday

(August 13)will be at HS and MS elds.

Please bring your soccer cleats

forWednesday'ssession!Pass the

word to yourfriends!!!
http://atac.ism-online.org/http://atac.ism-online.org/http://atac.ism-online.org/http://atac.ism-online.org/http://[email protected]/http://[email protected]/http://atac.ism-online.org/atac/1st-season/es-soccer-rifa-league-festivals/http://atac.ism-online.org/atac/1st-season/es-soccer-rifa-league-festivals/http://atac.ism-online.org/atac/1st-season/es-soccer-rifa-league-festivals/http://atac.ism-online.org/atac/1st-season/es-soccer-rifa-league-festivals/http://atac.ism-online.org/atac/1st-season/es-soccer-rifa-league-festivals/http://atac.ism-online.org/atac/1st-season/es-soccer-rifa-league-festivals/http://atac.ism-online.org/atac/1st-season/es-soccer-rifa-league-festivals/http://atac.ism-online.org/atac/1st-season/es-soccer-rifa-league-festivals/http://atac.ism-online.org/atac/1st-season/es-soccer-rifa-league-festivals/http://atac.ism-online.org/atac/1st-season/es-soccer-rifa-league-festivals/http://atac.ism-online.org/atac/1st-season/es-soccer-rifa-league-festivals/http://atac.ism-online.org/atac/1st-season/es-soccer-rifa-league-festivals/http://atac.ism-online.org/atac/1st-season/es-soccer-rifa-league-festivals/http://atac.ism-online.org/atac/1st-season/es-soccer-rifa-league-festivals/http://[email protected]/http://atac.ism-online.org/


9/11

Sailfish Swim Team Try Outs

Returning Swimmers

Please re-register online byMonday 11th AugustREGISTRATION FORM 14/15.This will con-

rm your return and spot on the squad.

New Swimmers

Tryouts will runMonday 11th-Wednesday 13th August. They will begin at2:30 p.m.for ES

and3:15 p.m.for MS/HS. You will need to bring swim suit and any other kit you require. You

will be parcipang in a short simple training session that should be no longer than 30

minutes.

The nal Sailsh Team will be announcedon Wednesdayevening on the Sailsh Website.

Training

Training will commence

on Thursday

14th August. On

Wednesday 20th August

we will have afull informaon and team building session for ALL SQUADS, ES 2:30-3:15pmand MS/HS

3:15 -4:30 p.m.

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AFAC start date is onAUGUST 28th !!!


11/11

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Documents

Parent Bulletin Issue 1 SY1415