Parent Bulletin Issue 3 SY1314

7/30/2019 Parent Bulletin Issue 3 SY1314

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Security Oce 4

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MIDDLE SCHOOLMIDDLE SCHOOLMIDDLE SCHOOL

ISSUE # 3

SY 2013 2014

WEEK OF:

SEPTEMBER 2 to 6

Weekly Publication for Middle School Parents

Friday BulletinInside this issue:

Events & Acvies:

SEPTEMBER

Admissions & Advancement

Drama Department

MS Media Center

ATAC Oce

ISM Upcoming Events

2 Bearcat Welcome

3 MS Open House

Middle School Oce 2

3

6

7

8

10

Powerschool Update:

12 Parent Workshop

16-20 FCD

Dear Parents,

On Tuesday, September 3 is the Middle School Back to School Night. Beginning at

4:30 P.M., refreshments will be available in the Fine Arts Theater lobby, and we will

ocially open the evening in the FAT at 5:00 P.M. with a brief introducon. Then

each parent will have the opportunity to experience the day in the life of their child.

Using your childs class schedule, you will have the chance to meet each teacher and

hear an overview about the course and the Advisory program. Please plan to aend

this eventwe are hoping for 100% parcipaon!

With three weeks under our belt, school is denitely up and running and the stu-

dents are more seled into rounes. The aer school clubs and acvies began this

past week, and we appreciated everyones understanding and paence as we

worked out a few kinks. This year we trialed an online sign-up system, which we will

review in order to improve the process. With the start of acvies, please make

sure that the appropriate transportaon arrangements are made for your child. If

your child is not parcipang in a scheduled, supervised acvity, we do expect that

students go home at the end of the school day. If your child must stay on campus to

wait for a sibling and to be picked up, then they can go to the Middle School Media

Center or Cafeteria to wait.

We are pleased to see most students demonstrang a strong sense of responsibility

for themselves. With the new locker system in place, the sixth to eighth graders are

remembering to bring their ID cards to school and taking care of their lockers. Stu-

dents are arriving at school in proper uniform, geng to class on me, and making

use of their planners to track homework and assignments. Starng next week in

Advisory, all students will be asked to set some goals for themselves. With this in

mind, we encourage all parents to discuss with their child the goals they plan to set

and the plans they will put in place to achieve them.

Looking aheadPreparaons are underway for the September Classroom Without

Wall (CWW) acvies which will take place on September 26 and 27. Grade 5 stu-

dents will remain on campus while grades 6 to 8 venture out on overnight trips.

Informaon and permission slips will be sent home through Advisory so please keep

an eye out for the handouts.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Yours in Educaon,

Simon Gillespie Clarissa Sayson

Middle School Principal Middle School Assistant Principal19 Parent Coee


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Dear Parents,

Research conrms that strong and supporve community is a foundaonal component of eecve learning and social -

emoonal development. In other words, great schools build an environment where students feel safe, challenged, and

supported. Consequently, over the past several years, we have made the social-emoonal component of our program

a priority. We've expanded our guidance program, iniated the Student Ambassador program, and emphasized indi-

vidualized student support at all levels of teaching and learning. This year, we have taken several new strides towards

supporng our students as they navigate the challenging and complex years of adolescence.

First, we've reframed and renamed the former Homebase program with the aim to build a robust Advisory program.

Twice a week, students will meet with a small group of students (typically 9 -12) and a teacher-advisor. This provides an

opportunity for students to connect with an adult advocate and strengthen relaonship, organizaonal, and communi-

caon skills. Second, we have revamped the House system by creang eight new houses. This will create new oppor-

tunies for vercal interacon between grade levels and provide a fun and acve context to build school spirit. These

changes add to our already dynamic student acvies, service learning, and pastoral care programs. Finally, the admin-

istraon team has created my new posion, the Student Advisory Coordinator. Ill be organizing Advisory themes and

professional development for teachers, as well as coordinang service learning, student council and various other as-

pects of student life in the Middle School.

We rmly believe that the condions under which teaching and learning take place are as important as the content

being delivered. When students feel connected to a strong and supporve community, all aspects of learning and per-

sonal growth are enriched. We're excited about these changes as we strive to create the very best school community

for our students. Should you have quesons or feedback about these changes, dont hesitate to contact me

[email protected].

Truly,

Cory Willey

MS Student Advisory Coordinator


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Dear Parents,

Please be reminded that keeping your contact informaon updated is vital to facilitang communicaon with the

school. If you would like to view/change any of the details on your current record, simply follow the steps below:


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Dear Parents,

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.

Parent IDs

We will be issuing new parent IDs for the school year 2013/14. To reduce the inconvenience to parents of this replace-

ment program, the old parent ID cards will be valid for school access unl the end of the rst semester on December

18th, 2013. The standard new parent cards will be issued free of charge. Parents may, however, elect to apply for a

smartcard ID which will be usable with the new cashless payment system being introduced into the school for SY 2013-

14. There will be a fee of P250.00 for a smartcard which covers in part the registraon fee the school is required to pay

for each card issued.

The security oce is now processing applicaons for the new parent IDs. As we require new photographs for the cards

parents are asked to visit the security oce for the taking of their picture.

School Passes

School passes issued to parents employees and representaves need to be replaced for next school year. As of Au-

gust 31, 2013 the orange bordered passes will be invalid.

The security oce is now accepng applicaons for new school passes. These passes will not be compable with the

cashless payment system.

Each family will be given two free school passes. Addional school passes may be obtained aer paying a processingfee of Php100.00 each to the Cashiers Oce.

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 oce to conrm the visitors business within the school. Visitors will need to surrender a photo

-ID upon entry to campus.

Car Sckers

The car sckers for school year 2013/2014 are available from the security oce.

For vehicles already displaying an exisng scker, parents should submit a completed renewal form with a copy of a

current LTO ocial receipt. For new vehicles, parents are reminded that a copy of the vehicles cercate of registra-

on and a current ocial receipt need to be submied with the applicaon. Applicaons for vehicles registered with

companies or other instuons should be supported by a leer of assignment.

Each ISM family will be issued one vehicle scker free of charge. Any addional sckers will be issued following pay-

ment of P100 to the cashiers oce.

In order to facilitate the easy recognion of authorized cars at the gates, the sckers should be axed to the top right

corner of the windshield. Further to this, old ISM sckers issued in previous years should be removed.


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In order to facilitate the easy recognion of authorized cars at the gates, the sckers should be axed to the top right

corner of the windshield. Further to this, old ISM sckers issued in previous years should be removed.

Vehicles not displaying a current car scker will not be allowed access from August 31, 2013.

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

sckers 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

occupants 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.

Drivers, Helpers and Bodyguards

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

students they should exit the school grounds and not return more than 30 minutes before dismissal me. Those who

repeatedly 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 stu-

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

geson at the pedestrian entrances to the covered parking area, parents are requested to emphasize to their employ-

ees 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 cam-

pus. This includes 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 re-

quested 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.

Please note 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,

MICHAEL FLYNN

Director of Operaons


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When: November 22 - November 24 2013 (not including travel days)

Where: Guangzhou, People's Republic of China (Check out the website for more details:

hp://www.ista.co.uk/whats-on/fesval/guangzhou-middle-school-fesval/Group

Audions will be held on Monday, September 23rd, and Wednesday, September 25th,

from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. in Room 1149. Plan to aend ONE SESSION, where you will play

improv games and do acng exercises with individual components. Sign up with Ms. Grev

and Ms. Rankin, and pick up an audion form!

Thank You,

Ms. Carrie M. Grev

Theater & Music Educator

Opportunity for 7th & 8th Graders Interested in Theater Experience!!!

ISTA (Internaonal Schools Theatre Associaon) PRESENTS....

Guangzhou Middle School Festival:

Chinese superheroes and landscapes -from classical to modern


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Dear Students in grades 8 and 9 and their families:

We have 3 New York Times Bestselling authors vising ISM on September 12th! Through a special arrangement with

Naonal Bookstore, on September 12th, 2013, our 8th and 9th graders will have the opportunity to listen to, and en-

gage with:

Margaret Stohl-featured book-Icons #1 of the series-

Alison Noel-featured book-Mysc#3 of the series-

Melissa De La Cruz- featured book-Frozen #1 of the series-

These writers ofYoung Adult fcon will discuss their movaon and inspiraon for wring, as well as answer quesons

during an assembly on 12 September from 7:45 am unl 8:45 am. The targeted audience age group for these dystopian

con novels is from upper Middle School through High School age. Some of the books deal with more mature ideas

and concepts. Naonal Bookstore has copies of all of these, and there are limited copies available in the MS and HS

Media Centers for pre-reading. Naonal Bookstore will also be selling pre-signed copies of their latest publicaons dur-

ing the day of the assembly, plus copies of some of the authors other tles at a 20% discounted rate! If your student

would like to purchase one of the newest releases, the costs for the newest releases are:

It is very excing to have these authors visit our school; I am sure they will be an inspiraon to many promising authors

here in the Middle School and High School!

Kind regards,

Meg Parry and Alicia Duell

MSMC and HSMC Teacher/Librarians

Title 20% discounted rate from Naonal Bookstore

Icons- paperback Php 319.20

Mysc- paperback Php 372.00

Frozen- paperback Php 396.00


8/13

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:

RIFA Soccer Fesval for all ES teams, MS C teams (9 aside) and MS girls

teams (7 aside) has been cancelled tomorrow August 31st. Check the

ATAC blog and ES/MS noce boards for this announcement. This cancel-

laon was made last Tuesday and has been posted on noce boards and

on the ATAC blog. This is due to many of the local schools having to use

Saturday to make up for lost classes due to the recent ooding. We will

keep you posted as to when the fesval will be rescheduled!

Up to date informaon about our ES soccer teams, the RIFA fesvals etc. can always be found

here: hp://atac.ism-online.org/atac/1st-season/es-soccer-rifa-league-fesvals/

To all parents, please note that permission slips will be issued to all players via the coaches at

training prior to each fesval with all fesval details.

The 1st season pracce schedule which runs from August 19th to October 11th is posted on noce

boards around school, and is also available on the ATAC blog.

hp://atac.ism-online.org/schedules/hs/

Our annual HS Friday Night Lights twilight opening season soccer and volleyball matches will be

TODAY Aug 30th vs. Faith Academy. This will be a great chance to come out and show your sup-

port for our ISM varsity teams. Soccer matches will start at 4:00 p.m. at the HS and MS elds and

the volleyball will be in the HS and MS gyms.

Good luck to our XCountry teams who will race at Brent tomorrow morning for the rst race of the

season. MS runners will race over a 3.2km course and HS runners will race a 5km course. ISM will

host a twilight XC race on Friday Sept 6th (MS race 5pm/HS race 5:30pm on campus)

For new families take some me to peruse the ATAC blog as this will help orientate you with the

wide variety of co-curricular programs ISM oers.

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 twier (see twier feed on the blog home page).

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Each Monday, I will post the weeks happenings and highlight important events for students and

parents informaon on the ATAC blog and in the regular Friday parent bullens.

GAME SCHEDULE PDF (access to game schedule informaon): Informaon about all mid-week/

weekend xtures for ISM teams can be found via the ATAC blog. Please note that the game sched-

ule does change oen due to involvement with many local schools, so please check the page regu-

larly to nd out the latest informaon of where and when the Bearcats teams are playing. Click on

schedules tab or the Bearcat logo to be directed to the power school secure site:

hp://powerschool.ismanila.org/public/

You will need your power school user name and password to access the game schedule pdf.

BEARCAT DEN: hp://atac.ism-online.org/bearcat-den/

The Bearcat Den is 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 fantasc group please contact any of our den members

during den opening hours or please contact Carolyn Ching for details [email protected].

We are always looking for new volunteers and encourage parents from ES/MS to join our group.

Have a great year at the Home of the Bearcats!

Regards,

Mark Pekin

Director of Athlecs/Acvies

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10/13

The INTERNATIONAL LITTLE LEAGUE ASSOCIATION OF MANILA (ILLAM) will have a booth

at the Bearcat Welcome at 7:30am, Monday, Sept 2, 2013. ILLAM is open to both boys and

girls from the ages of 4 to 18 who would like to play BASEBALL or SOFTBALL. The season

will start in October and end in March. Teams composed of kids from various private

schools play games on Saturdays in various elds around Metro Manila. Fee is P6000 for

the season and will include a minimum of 10 games and uniforms. Come and register your

kids! Baseball and SoballIts more fun in ILLAM!

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Documents

Parent Bulletin Issue 3 SY1314