COMMUNICATORCOMMUNICATORCOMMUNICATORTHE

A WORD FROMDIRECTOR, DON COLE

STUDENTS EXPRESS CREATIVITY THROUGH ART

ICS ALUM SERVING INLOS ANGELES, CA

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I N T E R N A T I O N A L C O M M U N I T Y S C H O O L

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Elementary shares “The Good News” through “Leon”

On December 16th the Elementary School performed “Tell the Good News” as well as “The First Leon.”

The older grades introduced us to Leon, a young man who, through the performance of a nativity in his church, comes to remind those around him of the real meaning of Christmas.

Leon loves Christmas and realizes early in the play that

his name spelled backwards spells Noel, and this makes him want to share the truth about Christmas even more.

Leon thinks a good way to do this is to perform in the church Christmas pageant.

Leon is not the best actor and this leads to him being cast as an understudy for the innkeeper.

Leon takes this role very seriously and through extenuating circumstances ends up getting to perform.

Through his performance

Leon is able touch the lives of all who see it.

Leon changes the typical Christmas nativity story ending as the innkeeper makes room for Christ in his own room.

We should all be reminded through this that Christ came to earth for each one of us and that we should not just make room for him in our lives but give him the starring role.

My hope for your family is that you have a wonderful and Christ-centered Christmas.

TRANSITIONSMeet the new Middle School Principalpage 3

NEW WEBSITE

CONTACT US

To visit our new website, go towww.ics.edu.sg

UNCLE GEORGEStudent performance earns rave reviewspage 8

TEL: +65 6776 7435FAX: +65 6776 7436EMAIL: info@ics.edu.sg

Visit www.ics.edu.sg for more information

Upcoming EventsFeb. 6 - 10 - International Week

Feb. 6 - International Night

March 13 - 17 - School Spirit Week

BY ERIN ALARY

Page 2 www.ics.edu.sg

ICS has made a commitment, clearly expressed in our Mission Statement, to provide a quality education to our students. Many people use these words casually and may not even think about what this may mean.

Our excellent achievement test scores will attest to the quality of teaching and learning taking place in our classrooms. Students excel in their mathematics, sciences, foreign language, reading, writing and social studies. These are the essence of class work in an American curriculum school, and we are certainly very pleased with the ongoing steps down the path of excellence.

You will notice we are featuring creative arts in this Communicator. These are also an important part of a quality education. Our elementary students are fortunate to enjoy music and art classes from the earliest grades. Middle and High school students choose various art and music classes in which to explore their creative talents. Secondary students also may choose to be involved with drama productions and performing choirs. Our excellent teachers encourage students in their efforts and display the student art work around the campus.

Along with the arts, all our students participate in regular physical education classes. These classes are instructional, sometimes competitive and always fun. They help students learn the importance of physical fitness. I enjoy watching these classes learning new skills or games – taught patiently by qualified teachers.

Finally, I want to mention the regular instruction our students receive from the Bible. No education is complete without learning about God and His son, Jesus Christ. Students receive instruction in their classroom as well as in a weekly Chapel program. All our teachers are a living curriculum to our students of the love of God and living a Godly life.

ICS provides a quality education – in the essential academic classes such as mathematics and science, plus the creative classes and physical education. First and foremost our quality education is centered around the Bible, God and Jesus Christ.

“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,

and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over

every power and authority.”

— Colossians 2:9-10 (NIV)

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T R A N S I T I O N S

We are excited about the events happening in our Middle School. Mrs. Noelle Fleischmann will be concluding her tenure as an ICS teacher and Middle School Principal on 14 January.

She began teaching in the middle school at ICS in 2005 and was promoted to Principal in 2009. During these years, she has taught Social Studies and Bible, been on service trips to Indonesia, taught ECA’s and participated in Week without Walls. Noelle and her husband Sam (ICS school counselor), are expecting their first child around 1 February!

We want to thank her for her dedicated work and her love for the students at ICS. We sincerely wish her God’s best as she takes on her new role as mother.

Noelle’s departure to motherhood created the need to hire a new administrator. We are pleased to introduce you to Christopher Herring.

Chris is originally from Mississippi and was raised in a fine Christian home, where his father was a school principal. He earned his Business degree, but returned to college shortly after to get his teaching credentials and MA in Education. Chris taught middle school and eventually became a principal at K-8 and K-12 schools. He has been involved in education for over 20 years. His experience includes being principal of an International school in Korea.

Christopher has been married to Marta for 27 years. Marta has her degree and teaching credentials and has taught for over 20 years at various levels.

The Herrings have two sons, Hayden, who is a Freshman at Corban University in Salem, Oregon, and Micah, who is in grade 10, and will be attending ICS. Chris, Marta and Micah will arrive the first week in January. Chris will be “on the job” immediately second semester.

International Community School is a member of the Network of International Christian Schools.For more information, please visit www.nics.org

We are grateful to Debbie Chow and Philip Ong for their service on the ICS Board. They have completed their term and will be missed.

We are thankful for 2 new members who have been appointed to the Board. Susan Griffith has been affiliated with ICS since it’s beginning!

The Griffiths came to Singapore almost 20 years ago. Susan’s husband, Rick teaches at Singapore Bible College and Pastors at Crossroads Church.

The Griffiths have 2 sons who graduated from ICS and their youngest, John, is a senior. Susan has taught choir and art at ICS and also served as the school librarian.

“We are so thankful to Him for raising up ICS and delight in the privilege of serving Him here. We look forward to seeing what He will do in and through ICS in the years to come. “

Dave Hane is from Oklahoma, USA. He moved to Singapore with his family in July of 2006. Prior to this move, the Hanes spent 15 years in Manila, Philippines.

Dave works as Human Resource director for Asia-Pacific Strategic Partners. In the last 18 months, this assignment has involved helping with the development of AsiaServe, a project to attract more English speaking teachers to Asia (https://www.asiaserve.org/). Locally, Dave and Kim are involved in a growing ministry to university students. Dave also enjoys coordinating the work in the ICS student garden.

The Hanes have been blessed by God with two children, Jonathan (sophomore) and Joy (grade 3).

GOODBYEWE SAY

TO ONE

DEAR FRIEND

WELCOMEAND SAY

TO A NEW

FAMILY

DIRECTOR’S NOTE

Director, International Community School

The other day, someone stopped me in the hall and said, “Can you believe that we are half way through the school year?!” I was stunned for a moment. Half way through the school year! It seemed to fly by. I began to wonder what had happened in the first half and worse…what I needed to get ready for in the second. That’s when the panic set in!

So often we get wrapped up in all that is happening around us that we forget the real reason for doing what we do. God has called each of us to be a part of His ministry here. Whether you are a teacher, an administrator, a parent, or a volunteer, you are a part of what God is doing here at ICS.

God has called you to be involved here at this time to live out your life for Him, teaching the truth to the next generation. What a fantastic calling and it is a huge privilege to see the truth we teach and live, worked out in our students.

Let me share a couple stories as a way of encouragement. In one of the classes I visited, a teacher asked for prayer requests. A young student raised her hand and asked to

pray for her parent who was sick. The next day the child came in and reported that her mom was feeling much better and thanked God for the healing. This student understands the power of prayer and gratitude!

Another time I had a student bring me a sack of coins stating that she would like to donate her loose change to victims of the volcanic eruption in Indonesia. What a generous heart!

One young man makes it part of his daily routine to gather any recess equipment left lying around and make sure that it gets put away. He wasn’t asked; he just saw a need and took care of it.

And these are just some of the ways that we are seeing our students live out their lives for Christ.

So as we prepare for the second half of the school year, let us not get sidetracked by all the events and planning, but to keep in front of us at all times the idea that we are to live a life that is a reflection of who Christ is.

Something to remember... Front row, left to right: James Rohl, Heath Akin, Jonathan deJongh, Austin Flemming, Jordan Mazik Middle Row, left to right: Tae Wan Kim, Anna-Joy Ong, Miss Miriam Burnett Back Row, left to

right: Miss Helen Brownell, Aditi Rajgopal, Ruth Mathew

We are very excited to be serving the middle school student

body. We sincerely look forward to planning events and watching

our student body grow spiritually.

Events we’ve already run include: “See You at the Pole”; a

themed game and movie afternoon; and a worship afternoon.

Feedback tells us that these events have been thoroughly en-

joyed by the middle school students who participated.

We look forward to coordinating more events and meeting the

needs of our fellow students. We will do our best to plan a lock-in,

a 4-square tournament, and a second movie night. These events

will help this year’s student body to get to know each other bet-

ter; especially between the different grade levels! It is our prayer

that we will pursue excellence for God’s glory, and seek Him in all

that we do!

“It impacted the way I view what I want to do. I want to serve kids in ministry.”

“I didn’t realize how blessed I am with things I have. And how content those kids were.”

“I’ll ALWAYS remember the kids singing with us and the way they held onto us.”

“I was tired (from the manual labor), but to see the kids’ happy faces was well worth it!”

“I will always remember the little boy who waited for me to stand next to him during a game.”

“I can now see how blessed we are and that God wants us to help others.”

“The manual labor was extremely hard, but very rewarding.”

“My favorite part was seeing the kids be happy, like when they answered a questions right or when we sang with them.”

MIDDLE SCHOOLSTUDENT COUNCIL2010-2011

By Gretchen Schlie | Elementary Principal

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MISSION: INDONESIADuring the month of November a group of Middle School students spent three days building relationships with the teachers and students of SDN Lima Belas Primary School in Moro, Indonesia. Through manual labor, English lessons, and play the ICS students invested in the lives of others. While blessing the Indonesian students, our ICS students’ lives were changed forever.

engaged in the

ARTS

The Fine Arts Department at ICS has been growing! High School classes in the Visual Arts include Drawing, Painting, Advanced Placement (AP) 2-D Studio, Digital Arts, and soon to be including Ceramics. Middle school has been studying various International Arts. K-5 Fine arts classes present an extensive display of design principles and media – allowing students to explore and learn in a creative way. Music classes are offered from K-12 and they sound GREAT! The Drama department has also accomplished some great feats of late! With all these cre-ative students around, it’s no wonder that the Arts culture at ICS is on the rise!

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When Uncle George (senior John Griffith) invites his whole family up for a weekend of fun at his rustic cabin, he actually wants them together so he can read his will. But between the bequeathing and his rambling stories, George drops the bomb that somewhere on the property is a suitcase holding four hundred and eighty thousand dollars! What follows is a hilarious farce of pettiness, slander, and

greed. The relatives end up wrestling each other, falling down the stairs, and getting stuck in the furniture. “Yep, we’re gonna have lots of fun!” says George as he’s seen carrying a shovel out the front door. But George’s gift is much more important than mere money, even though the relatives don’t see it that way - at first.

THE MONEY inUNCLE GEORGE’S $UITCASE

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HOLISTIC EDUCATION

In our mission statement, holistic education is one of our primary objectives. Holistic education represents both the broad nature and depth of our educational philosophy. The breadth is demonstrated by our focus on the development of the academic, spiritual, social, and physical aspects of a student. Therefore, we do not only hold academics in high regard, we also strongly encourage our students to get involved in all aspects of their school community. Sports teams, drama and choir productions, speech and debate, and student government give them many options. Holistic education also has depth as we view education as a process and not an end unto itself. For that reason, our courses are designed to teach students how to learn and how to think, which is consistent with a traditional liberal arts education. Consequently, our graduates are well equipped and prepared for the rigors and expectations placed on them at the university level. Matt Eiler//HS Principal

OUR WEBSITE JUST GOT BETTERWWW.ICS.EDU.SG

Check it out today!

The season one sports season was a great success this year with five out of six of our teams placing in the top three in league play. All of the teams this season put forth great ef-fort and improved each and every game!

“Hard Work” are the words that defined this year’s season for the U-16 boy’s basketball team. Those words could be heard at the end of all their practices and as they broke the huddles during their games. All of their hard work resulted in an undefeated regular season. The team finished second at the Championship tournament after a very exciting over-time game.

Our Lady Knights volleyball team worked hard and im-proved each and every day at practice and during their games. They were able to qualify for the league tournament where they played their way into the Championship game and walked away with silver medals.

The soccer team also enjoyed a successful season finish-ing in third place. Runners Carley Kennedy and Taylor Flemming won first and second place at the Cross Country League Tournament.

Way to go Knights! Hard work, teamwork and sportsman-ship.

ATHLETICSATHLETICSATHLETICSICSICSICS Alums Sofia Gabrielsson & Geoffrey Setiawan share

about their experiences post-ICS.

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It is hard to find words to

tell and describe everything

that has been going on with me for the past three

months. I have been living

at the Dream Center in Los

Angeles, California. The Dream Center is a Christian

organization with over 200

ministries, serving the poor

of Los Angeles. It brings hope to the homeless, offers

rehabilitation to those

who need it, food to the hungry and spiritual

guidance and uplifting for everyone.

The first two weeks here I got a taste of a lot

of the ministries the Dream Center has to offer.

Now that I have been here longer I have a primary

focus on a ministry called Under the Bridge as

well as Food Truck. With the Under the Bridge

ministry, we go out to three different locations,

four days a week, to serve hot meals to the

homeless. The Food Truck ministry goes to many

different locations, bringing groceries to the

poorer neighborhoods of LA.When I first came to the Dream Center, I had

the mindset of wanting to help change someone’s

life. Now that I have been here a while, I

realize that I am the one whose life has been

changed. I have met the most amazing people who

have greatly influenced me and made me realize

so much about life – the importance of family,

friends, and most of all, my relationship with

Jesus. At church the other week the worship team was

playing the song Hosanna in which some of the

lyrics go like this, “Break my heart for what

breaks your, Everything I am for your kingdom

come, Show me how to love like you have loved

me.” I feel like my time at the Dream Center has

opened up my eyes and made my heart break for

what breaks His heart. My heart breaks when I see

the people on Skid Row (area in the United States

with the highest population density of homeless

people) and I know that being there and talking

to them is where I am meant to be. I know I am

called to be there and to love like He loved.

My time in Los Angeles is coming to a close,

it will be sad to leave this place, but I know I

will be back.

SOFIA GABRIELSSON CLASS OF 2010

It is absolutely true when

people say that the four years

you spend in college will be

the best years. Listing all the

satisfying facets of university

life would make too long of

a list. Perhaps what I enjoy

most is the sense of autonomy.

For once in my life, my daily

routines are completely in

my control. I am currently in

San Antonio, Texas studying

at Trinity University. I am a

Marketing and Finance major with a minor in sociology.

I am also a member of the Trinity University golf

team, and currently playing in their #1 spot.

As a student-athlete, my college life is made

significantly more complicated than the average

college sophomore. Because of the competitive nature

of the sport, we spend about 4-5 hours a day out

on the golf course. On top of classes; workouts,

and tournament leaves very little time to juggle my

social and academic life. Even with impeccable time-

management, juggling these facets can be extremely

overwhelming. An added benefit of being on the golf

team is the privilege of traveling out of state once

every few weeks. I attended ICS from the fall of 2003 till my

graduation in spring 2009. Perhaps the greatest

memory of ICS was my senior retreat since it was very

fascinating getting to know my classmates outside of

the school setting. I discovered some peculiar traits

that they possess. One of the things I miss about

Singapore are some of my favorite dishes especially

mee siam and the ever savory mee rebus.

I personally did not have any troubles adjusting

to the American way of life. It is extremely easy to

meet and make new friends in college. But perhaps the

most difficult aspect which I had to adjust to was the

fact that I now had to drive a car to get to places.

All the things you have to do to maintain your car

can be overwhelming. I have had some very unfortunate

mishaps with my vehicle (I even saw my car get towed

away at 3 in the morning this thanksgiving). Upon my

move to San Antonio, my parents could only stay with

me for a couple of days. So within those couple of

days, I was forced to settle all the errands that need

to be sorted on my own, and that included my driver’s

license. Everything went perfectly for the first

few minutes of my driving test until I was required

to parallel park. I ended up passing the test after

backing in and out of that spot for a good 7 minutes.

Moral of the story: Learn to parallel park.

The academic system in ICS really encourages

teacher-student interaction; and honestly speaking,

I felt like I did not make good use of this asset.

For those of you who are approaching the date of your

graduation, I would encourage you to have an active

communication with your teachers as it will not only

lead you to a better understanding of the subject,

but could also give you a more enriching high school

experience.

GEOFFREY SETIAWAN CLASS OF 2009

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Alumni Report:

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Cash

Check made out to:International Community School (S) Ltd (Singapore or US dollar checks)

Online: www.ammado.com/nonprofit/international-community-school-singapore Visit our website:www.ics.edu.sg/support

Questions concerning any gift can be directed to the ICS Business Manager, John Kennedy

OUR MISSION

OUR VISION

We are a caring community, committed to provide each student with

a quality, holistic education that instills a biblical worldview, a love

and respect for all cultures, a zeal for lifelong learning, and a passion

for personal excellence.

Transforming lives to impact the world for the glory of God

www.ics.edu.sg

We are thrilled to work with you in fulfilling your desire to invest in student’s lives at ICS! Donations are essential to the school's long-term growth and success. Donations help us continue on the path of

excellence at ICS - adding programs, improving facilities, keeping pace with technology and providing faculty with

professional development opportunities.

All contributions are acknowledged with sincere gratitude while maintaining donor information in strict confidence. WAYS TO GIVE

International Community School is a member of the Network of International Christian Schools.

For more information, please visit www.nics.org