Thursday 4th May, 2017 THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF PORT · PDF filethe rural lifestyle and to build ... ocelots, weeping capuchin monkeys, and red howler ... Thursday 4th May, 2017

Thursday 4th May, 2017 THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF PORT OF SPAIN VOLUME 24, ISSUE 32

ISPS WEEKLY NEWSLETTER CONFIDENCE EXCELLENCE INTEGRITY 1

ISPS WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

MISSION ISPS is a vibrant learning community dedicated to developing passionate learners who strive for excellence and pursue their unique potential. We encourage resilience, innovation and collaboration, preparing students to act with confidence and integrity as caring global citizens.

VISION Inspiring thinkers and doers to shape a better world.

MOTTO Difference Makers,

Future Shapers

ISPS Contact #: 633-4777

WHAT’S INSIDE

Dates for your Diary

May

5 PTO Teacher Appreciation Lunch

5 Decibel Conference, Queen’s Hall

6 SAT: 7:00 am - 2:00 pm

10 ERB Parent Orientation

12 Grade 5 PYP Exhibition

18 MS/HS Parenting Workshop

18-19 HS Turtle Tagging Trip to Matura

22-26 ES Science Fest

23 PTO AGM: 6:00 pm, Cafeteria

24 Grade 7 Grande Riviere Overnight Trip


FROM THE DIRECTOR

PTO AGM Announcement 2

Financial Form/Open House Thanks 3

GIN Conference 4-5

Reach-Out Field Trip 6

Language & Literature 7

Dance 8

ES Counselor’s Corner 9

Library Corner 10

Nurse’s Notes/ Tech Tips 11

Athletics 12-13

Community Notices 14-15

May & June Calendars 16-17

Cafeteria 18

Open Forum Minutes 19-20

Dear Parents, I hope your kids enjoyed school this week. While we are very busy here at ISPS, I am pleased to report that all is well. The Advanced Placement Exams are running smoothly and ES and MS students are being very respectful of the space outside of the library, where the exams are being held. Those taking AP exams are telling me that this first week of exams has gone well. The ES and MS book clubs continue and it is nice to see a steady stream of parents coming into school. Grade 5's are busy preparing for their PYP Exhibition, which they will showcase next week Friday in the Music and Dance spaces. For those not familiar with it, the PYP exhibition is the culminating event in the Primary Years Programme (PYP). Students have progressed through a collaborative, critical thinking journey of inquiry throughout their primary years and the PYP Exhibition is a chance for them to demonstrate all aspects of the Learner Profile, in a "project". There has been a lot of hard work put into the projects and we very much look forward to the Exhibition. Our Heads of Department gathered this morning for the first of 8 sessions in Leadership Development. The Inflection team is leading the workshop based sessions and we hope that this will enable us to build our leadership capacity within ISPS. Following AP Exams, our HS seniors will begin their internships. The internship is a

month long "work study" which gives our seniors a "real life" work experience before they head off to University. As you can imagine, they are very excited and looking forward to the experience. A reminder to ES and MS parents that there is an informational meeting next week, May 10th, on the ERB test and reports. This meeting is scheduled for 7:30am in the Cafeteria and it is for parents who would like to better understand the results of the ERB's. The Administrative Team has reviewed the ISPS Calendar through to the last day of school and I urge everyone to review all the dates and activities that are in the schedule. The calendar for May and June are published in this newsletter for your convenience. It is busy! Please note that all student reports will be available on the last day of school in Skyward. Teacher Appreciation Week is being celebrated this week and I thank all the parents and students who have recognized their teachers this week. By all accounts, we are looking forward to a very delicious lunch on Friday, spearheaded by our hardworking PTO and supportive parent body. This week, thank you to our parents and a big thank you to our teachers for all they do in guiding our ISPS students. Enjoy the weekend.

B Latham

Director



Dear Parents, There are two open positions on the ISPS School Board for the upcoming school year:

Parent Director

Alternate Parent Director

Interested candidates are asked to submit a “Willingness to Serve” letter to the Nominating Committee. This letter should include a synopsis of their credentials and activities highlighting their relevant experience. “Willingness to Serve” letters must be submitted to the Nominating Committee by Wednesday 10th May at 2:15 pm. These will be published in the ISPS Newsletter for community review, on May 11th and May 18th. Please send your letters to the Nominating Committee c/o the PTO President, Rosie Ramsingh-Ramroop, at [email protected] Please be also advised that there will be two positions open on the PTO Board for the 2017-2018 academic year:

2nd Vice President

Treasurer We are also be seeking candidates for these two positions. Elections for these vacancies will be held at the PTO AGM carded for May 23rd at 6:00 pm in the cafeteria. An agenda for this meeting will be published in a subsequent newsletter . Regards, Rosie Ramsingh-Ramroop [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]




A big THANK YOU for all your efforts in ensuring that our Open House on Saturday was a success. The presentations, the student involvement and short presentations, as well as the preparation into showcasing our facility all contributed towards the huge impact on all who attended.

All parties left very impressed. It certainly was a TEAM effort!

ISPS Financial Aid Forms are ready!

ISPS Parents can apply for a small grant to assist with the tuition fees for the 2017-2018 academic year.

If you would like to apply for this grant from the Director’s Fund which is for temporary financial hardships, please submit a completed form to the Admission Department by May 31.

Any queries, email: [email protected]

All applications are confidential.

Parents interested in Financial Aid can find the form here.


https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bwcxt_pIBjElbkVUT3JNLXhDOXc



BY ASHMIR ALI

GIN

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In March 2017 6 students and two teachers from High School travelled to Panama City to participate in the Global issues Conference at International School of Panama. What is a Global Issues Network Conference? It is a gathering of change makers — students and educators working together with their community to create positive change on a local, national or

international scale. At the conference students from twenty international schools in the South and Central American region came together to share their community service projects on a range of global issues. ISPS sent a team from the High School Reach-Out Community Service club which presented and led a workshop entitled “Education For All”.

In preparation students worked independently to make a short film and to create interactive activities to teach their peers about their project. The High School team comprised Annalies Chan, Jennifer Haidar, Victoria George, Bridget Als, Shival Maharaj and Jean-Charles Patterson whose presentation was based on their experiences in the Reach-Out Community Service club. The accompanying teachers, Mr George Leiter and Mrs Rebecca Tompsett and students alike came away committed to becoming change-makers in their community. A truly inspiring experience!

Rebecca Tompsett

Teaching students to make a global impact

My second year at GIN was an equally enjoyable experience. The three-day conference was held in Panama and addressed global issues world wide. It was very enjoyable to meet and learn from other students who also share similar goals as us. Jennifer Haidar



If I could use one word to describe my first year in GIN it would be unforgettable. My group and I went to Panama and discussed our Global topic which was Reach Out. The conference itself was very informative about the issues occurring in the world, and what we can do to help. On this trip we even got to visit the indigenous island in Panama and see how the local people there live. The indigenous people made fish and plantain for us from their produce on the island. It was truly incredible. I would definitely attend this conference next year. Bridget Als

GIN Conference 2017



BY ASHMIR ALI

Reach-Out Field Trip By: Yuije Song (Grade 11)

The 1st of April was a special day for the Reach-Out program. 36 children from the Petit Valley Community Center along with 15 ISPS students and teachers embarked on a field trip to the Wa Samaki farm. This educational tour aims to raise awareness of the protection of the ecosystem against animal poaching and smuggling, as well as to enhance our perceptual knowledge on the issue of global warming caused by the emission of greenhouse gases. The children are also given a chance to experience the rural lifestyle and to build bonds with our high school volunteers. The farm houses many native Trinidadian animals such as ocelots, weeping capuchin monkeys, and red howler

monkeys; it also provides shelter for many injured animals who no longer have the ability to self-sustain. We saw many birds with amputated wings, broken legs, and even more severe injuries; all of their wounds are caused by smugglers who wish to gain profit by tearing apart families, or hunters who seek pleasure in killing

innocent lives. Seeing the suffering of these animals, we are taught to respect life, regardless of what form it takes. The staff members of the farm build their own houses out of timber, tires, and clay, so that the recycling and re-using of waste products can reduce carbon dioxide emission from burning and

help alleviate global warming. We are reminded of the importance of sustainable development, and encouraged to do whatever is in our power to protect the environment from further deteriorating. Just like the farm’s motto “Quiet Revolution”, we, as the next generation, should put in our efforts, regardless of how insignificant they may be, to drive the revolution that aims to protect our Mother Earth from the harm of human activities. We appreciate the support of the teachers and the participation of the students; this meaningful event is only made possible by their contributions to the Reach-Out community.

Plants, Animals & Ecosystems A Student's Guide to Global Climate Change



Grade 8 Language and Literature recently finished reading the novel Divergent by Veronica Roth. In Roth’s dystopian world, society is divided into five factions: Abnegation (the selfless), Amity (the kind), Candor (the honest), Dauntless (the brave), and Erudite (the intelligent). In the novel at the age of 16, the members of the society must join one of the factions and then complete an initiation to fully integrate into the faction or be cast aside to be factionless (homeless). As part of the students’ summative assessment for this unit, the students had to create a faction of their own—one based on their personalities and/or a world they dream about or wish to create. Different from the Choosing Ceremony in the novel where the characters simply made their faction choices, the students then were required to create a persuasive presentation to persuade students in grade 6 to join their faction. The entire process was broken into three parts: the creation of a faction including writing a faction manifesto, developing a print advertisement and faction symbol, and finally the persuasive speech. As this was a very involved summative, all four criteria were assessed—8 strands in total. The actual presentations will be held at the end of next week, and I am looking forward to seeing the culmination of the students’ efforts, es-pecially since the factions they have created are quite clever.

Scott Chaffin

Creativity Fueled With Divergent Thinking

Max and Matthew diligently working on their manifestoes.

I’m pretty sure Matthew is not

actually in distress in the photo!

Midway through reading the novel, the students had to complete a scavenger hunt in teams based on different elements from the story. Here they are completing a relay race.

Clockwise from top: Brendon, Penny, Brooke, and David.

This group was

completing another

step in the previously

explained scavenger

hunt.

Before reading the novel Divergent by Veronica Roth, the students took a test to

determine which faction they would belong to if they inhabited Roth’s dystopian

world.



Sarah Lambert



KINDNESS TREE

Ryan 1Bed Even though he had just got on, he selflessly offered the swing to another student who was waiting for a long time at another swing.

Ollie 3P Held the door open for a very long time when he saw a MS teacher coming.

Martin 2J Consistently and willingly helps his classmates with tidying the classroom during clean-up time.

Grade

4S The entire class advocated for a student when he was having a difficult time.

...ES Counselor’s Corner...

If you are new to ERB Writing assessment or wish to un-derstand it better.

The ERB Writing Assessment is conducted once a year at ISPS.

It measures written expression, ideas, punctuation, capitalization, and general usage.

Individual scores are shared with parents and the results are used to provide specific

Date: Wednesday May 10, 2017 Time: 7:30-8:30 am Location: Cafeteria

Looking forward to seeing you there!

ERB ORIENTATION

Parents - Grades 3-8



Library

Corner By Debbie Jacob

EXAM TIMES

7:45 AM—12:45 PM BIOLOGY CALCULUS AB ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION

LIBRARY OPEN

HUMAN GEOGRAPHY/ MICROECONOICS

LIBARARY CLOSED LIBARARY CLOSED

11:45 AM—4:45 PM PHYSICS C: MECHANICS

FRENCH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

MACROECONOMICS STATISTICS EUROPEAN HISTORY

LIBARARY CLOSED

Library Opening Hours During AP Exams (Week 2: May 8-10)

Students Create Virtual Tour of the ISPS Library

What is the best way to navigate your way through the ISPS library with all of its resources for elementary, middle and high school? Middle school students are currently working in groups to create a virtual tour of our school library in their library class. We will be choosing the best presentation from each class to post on the library web site. Stay tuned for your guided tour!



Hello Everyone,

Two weeks are almost finished! This term is going fast. The weather is slowly changing, and this week we had some cooler and cloudier days than last week.

This week students started complaining about having sore throats. I have been giving them throat lozenges and/or salt water to gargle. You may continue to give them salt water to gargle, this will help soothe sore throats. If it is really bad I will let you know to take them to get checked by a medical doctor.

Have a safe and fun filled weekend.

VANDA GIBBINGS-GOMES

School Nurse, R.N. R.M.

,

Tech Tips by Adrienne DeBoucher, Ed. Tech. Coordinator

Here are some resources you may find helpful in making decisions about family tech rules.

The Insanity of the New Humanity: Put Up the Cell Phone and Be There

Teens who take their phones to bed are twice as likely to be sleep deprived – Cell Phone Addicts Most Sleep Deprived

Sleep Review: The Journal for Sleep Specialists

Sleep Problems Have the Same Affect on Students’ Grades as Drug Abuse, New Study Finds

PBS News Hour

Scary Ways Technology Affects Your Sleep

Sleep.org

How to Turn Blue Light Off on Your Phone and iPad

Study: Teen cell phone use at bedtime leads to insomnia, poor performance in school

https://el2.convertkit-mail.com/c/5qu69853ph7hvq2dv/qygvyg/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZWR1dG9waWEub3JnL2Jsb2cvcHV0LWF3YXktcGhvbmUtYmUtdGhlcmUtdmlja2ktZGF2aXM=

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https://sleep.org/

https://el2.convertkit-mail.com/c/5qu69853ph7hvq2dv/vj43y5/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb29sY2F0dGVhY2hlci5jb20vdHVybi1vZmYtYmx1ZS1saWdodC1pcGhvbmUtaXBhZC1uaWdodC8=

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BY ASHMIR ALI

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After School Activities Session 3 started April 24, 2017 and ends on June 9, 2017.

Drama is closed (Activity filled)

MS Drama has been added to the ASA list

Click here for the Registration Forms for Session 3 or pick it up at the front desk.

Thank you for supporting our After School Activity Program.

Coaching Sessions for MS and HS Athletes:

Coaching sessions for students have begun for MS and HS athletes.

These sessions were designed for students interested in learning and developing their

skills in Rugby, Soccer, Volleyball and Basketball.

Following is the schedule:

National Secondary Schools’ Basketball League— North Zone:

This league has not ended. Our teams have been performing very well. We are in the top

two positions in all the categories (Boys’ U 15, Boys’ U 17, Boys’ U 20 and Girls’ Open).

Games continue next week.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

2:30-4:30 Rugby

3:30-5:30 Soccer

3:30-5:30 Volleyball

3:30-5:30 Basketball

Caiman Champions:

Send us pictures and a brief description of outstanding performances by students and

parents and we will highlight these achievements in our section.

Congratulations:

Congratulations to Sam Avey on winning the National Junior Golf title.

Camp Caiman:

Watch out for more information on Camp Caiman, from July 17-28.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bwcxt_pIBjElTHBnOHBHa29TSzg/view?usp=sharing



Caiman Sports Awards Ceremony:

This prestigious event to honour our fantastic student-athletes will be held on Thursday 8th June. It will take place at our gym and the start time is 6:00pm. All athletes who have competed on teams for ISPS (Rugby, Volleyball, Swimming, Basketball, Soccer, Track and Field) are invited. All parents and other guests contribute a minimal fee of $100TTD. Dinner is included. Please fill out the attached form and return to Ashmir Ali.



We’re on a mission to end child poverty. Through the power of entertainment, Red Nose Day raises awareness and money to help the kids who need us most,

both at home and around the world.

All proceeds to local charities

Entry includes supper and two complimentary drinks

Tickets courtesy

Grab a team, it’s

Hello student, parent, or educator!

Welcome to Red Nose Day 2017.

The NHS team invites you to purchase a red nose for TTD$10, which also entitles the student to wear red on this day. Money raised will go to a charity chosen by NHS.

Red Nose Day started as an initiative in the UK with the goal of using comedy to raise money and help those in need.

Thank you for taking the lead and encouraging everyone you know to come together to help those in need, one nose at a time. NHS Team



Date: Sunday 14 May 2017 Time: 7:00-11:00am Cost: $30 Venue: National Aquatic Centre, Couva

Registration: May 10, 2017 To Register, please contact II Jamie Shearer: [email protected]

Age Swim Ride Run

7 & Under 25M 700M 100M

8 to 9 50M 1400M 200M

10 to 11 100M 1600M 400M

12 to 13 200M 2400M 500M

**Please note that they use the age the child will be on 31 December 2017.




International School of Port of Spain MAY 2017 2016 - 2017 Events Calendar

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 3 4 5 6

AP EXAMS — Week 1 SAT

MS AAPPL 7:00 am - 2 pm

MS/HS Parenting

Workshop Decibel Conference,

Queen's Hall

NATIONAL TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK (APRIL 1-5) PTO Teacher Appreciation Lunch

Open Forum: 7-9 pm

7 8 9 10 11 12 13

AP EXAMS — Week 2

ERB Parent Orientation

7:30 - 8:30am Cafeteria

Grade 5 PYP Exhibition

14 15 16 17 18 19 20

MS/HS Parenting

Workshop 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

ISTD Modern Teachers Course -Advanced 1

HS TURTLE TAGGING TRIP

21 22 23 24 25 26 27

ES SCEINCE FEST

9:00 am - 5:00 pm ISTD Modern Teachers

Course -Advanced 1

NHS Fundraiser Red Nose Day

Coffee Morning: 7:30 am

PTO AGM: 6:00 pm, Cafeteria

GRADE 7 GRANDE RIVIERE OVERNIGHT TRIP Gr 10 MYP Personal Project Exhibition

MS/HS Parenting

Workshop

28 29 30 31

ES AAPPL-Gr 4&5

Indian Arrival Day (National Holiday)

ES AAPPL-Gr 4&5

Opening of Arts Festival: 5:00 pm

ARTS FESTIVAL



International School of Port of Spain JUNE 2017 2016 - 2017 Events Calendar

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 3

ARTS FESTIVAL SAT

HS TURTLE TAGGING TRIP TO MATURA 7:00 am - 2:00 pm

ES AAPPL-Gr 4&5

PTO Garage Sale, Book

Fair & Uniform Sale

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

HS Grade 9

Parent Information Meeting: 7:45 am,

Room 207

HS Production “Typecast”:

1:00 - 2:30 pm

HS S2 Music Recital: 8:00 am, Theatre

ASA SESSION 3 Ends ACT

Senior Walkthrough:

11:00 am

2nd Graduation Rehearsal: 12 noon 7:00 am - 2:00 pm

HS Production “Typecast:

6:00 - 7:30 pm

1st Graduation

Rehearsal

Open Forum; 7-9 pm

Sports Awards: 6:00 pm, ISPS Gym

Dance Workshop: 6:00 pm. Theatre

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

HS Graduation: 6:00 pm, Theatre

KG Transition Ceremony: 8:00 am,

Music Room

Grade 8 Transition Ceremony: 8:00 am,

Theatre

Grade 5 Transition Ceremony: 8:00 am

Corpus Christi (National Holiday)

ES end of Term 3

End of Q4 (MS/HS)

Last day of School: 11:30 am Whole School Dismissal

ES/MS Water Activities:

11:00 am HS Grad Ball: 6:30 pm

Grade 6 Overnight on

campus: 2:30 pm ES Reports

MS/HS Reports

18 19 20 21

22 23 24

Labour Day (National Holiday)

25 26 27 28 29

30



Easy

Print

Page

Dates for your Diary

May

5 PTO Teacher Appreciation Lunch

5 Decibel Conference, Queen’s Hall

6 SAT: 7:00 am - 2:00 pm

10 ERB Parent Orientation

12 Grade 5 PYP Exhibition



22-26 ES Science Fest

23 PTO AGM: 6:00 pm, Cafeteria

24 Grade 7 Grande Riviere Overnight Trip


26 Gr 10 MYP Personal Project Exhibition

29-2 (June) ES AAPPL (Gr. 4 & 5)

30 Indian Arrival Day (National Holiday)

29-2 (June) Arts Festival

31 Opening of Arts Festival; 5:00 pm

June



Menu: May 8th to May 12th, 2017 Everyday there will be a set menu at a fixed cost (Table d’hôte) and some days may have an À la carte menu where

items are priced individually

Elementary Options: Any Sandwich served with a small salad, milk, water or juice and fruit: $15.00

Prices for Lunch: VAT INCLUSIVE (Table d’hôte)- Fixed Menu:

Elementary Lunch: $23.00 Medium Lunch: $28.00 Large Lunch: $32.00

Prices for (A la Carte Menu):

6 in. Subs (Tuna, Ham and Cheese, Turkey, Ham): $10.00 Chicken Sub: $12.00

Vegan Delight (Cheese, Vegetables): $10.00 Fruit Bowl served Monday and Tuesday: $10.00

Baked French Fries: $10.00 Fresh Juices: $6.00(s) $7.00(m) $8.00(l) Milk (normal/soy): $6.00

Note: Vegetarian meals are available upon request. Students & Staff who suffer from allergies or have dietary requirements, please let

the café know in advance so that they can try to facilitate you.

Monday 8th

Breakfast:

Lunch:

Eggs, Sausages, Roast Bake, Ham & Cheese Slices

Fried Chicken, Baked Fries, Fresh Salad

Tuesday 9th

Breakfast:

Lunch:

Hot Dogs & Deli Sandwiches

Noodles Or Rice, Chinese Style Chicken Or Sweet And Sour Fish, Sauteed Vegetables

Wednesday 10th

Breakfast:

Lunch:

Sada, Dasheen Leaves, Tomato Choka

Roti (Buss-Up-Shut Only), Channa & Potato, Curry Chicken

Thursday 11th

Breakfast:

Lunch:

Eggs, Sausages, Waffles, Toasted Bread

PASTA DELIGHT: Chicken Alfredo, Vegetable Pasta, Pasta Delight

{Minced Beef OR Minced Chicken}, Fresh Salad

Friday 12th

Breakfast:

Lunch:

Toasted Bread, Scrambled Eggs, Jam, Cheese Slice

Grilled Quesadillas Or Chicken Tacos, Three Bean Salad



The forum began with a presentation which tried to explain the 6% fee increase, showing that enrollment over the last three years has been decreasing, the projected enrollment for the 2017-18 school year, student teacher ratios, and other data. It was clear in the presentation that the school must cut costs and increase revenue. There was information shared as to the cost cutting the school has already done for the 2016-17 school year and the 2017-18 school year, and a Board approved approach to address the situation in a measured, well planned way to make sure there is minimum disruption to the ISPS programme and ensuring sustainability into the future.

Questions asked: Is 370 projected enrollment a conservative number, or an optimistic number? Jackie: it is a conservative projection. Is 370 the projection before or after the 6% increase? It was before. The last three years have seen an increase in tuition fees. Cumulative is a lot. We are concerned. We understand that parents are concerned and it is our goal to address the balance between revenue and costs in a measured and sustainable way so that future fee increases can be minimized. How do you budget for the differences in tuition fees? We keep a meticulous record of those enrollment figures. We know the historical rates for each of the different constituents of the population and have taken that into account when building the budget for any school year. I want to feel that the board didn’t take the decision lightly. How can I be re-assured? Secondly, why not give parents a break after the events from last year? Follow-up question: please realise that with the exchange rate going south, we feel we are being hit a lot. How do I justify this increase when I speak with other families? Yes, the board did consider the impact. The Board considered many scenarios; running flat budgets, reducing costs, and a variety of scenarios of percentage increases. The threshold to run a deficit for the short-term meant we had to take the decision to increase the tuition fee of 6%, as there is a limit in good governance that can’t be passed when dipping into reserves. How much does MYP contribute to this deficit? The MYP does not cost us that much; the annual fee to the IB for both the MYP and PYP is about USD$7500 annual fee. Why is the board being caught flat-footed? What has the board done to prevent a failure to project & budget for the correct student enrollment? My question then is: what are you doing to protect me to ensure I can have my child in this school for the next 7 years? There is no way that the Board could have predicted the events of last year. By the time the effects of the incident came in, we were already in this school year with staffing levels for a student population of 430. Our population has dropped by 25% this school year, yet we have to honor contracts for the year. By dipping into reserves for the 2017-18 school year, the Board has allowed us the time to develop a plan to address the balance between revenue and costs in a measured and sustainable way, avoiding the incidents of last year, and ensuring that future fee increases can be minimized.

Minutes from the Open Forum held on April 5, 2017



Has the board considered that there is only a small percentage of Trinidadians that are in a position to attend ISPS? Who are we marketing for? The expats are leaving, so who are we marketing for? Yes, however, we do believe there are other Trinidadian parents who we may be able to attract to ISPS. In order to attract them, we have to make sure that ISPS is offering the best programme in Trinidad. Parent Comment: Could we consider asking the board for a different rate, because after the events of last year we feel we need to be ‘thrown a bone’. We are the parents who stuck with the school after the difficult year. It is an issue of communication. If the board is considering such a large increase we need to be respected in how this is timed. And why can’t we pay in Trinidadian Dollar? I will communicate this to the board. Since the school’s inception the tuition fee has been paid in US Dollar but this can be discussed at the next Finance Sub-committee meeting. (incidentally, the Chair of the Finance committee was at the meeting, as were 4 other Board members) Is the Board trying to attract a new investor to replace the Embassy? This is something that is discussed at the Shareholders meeting, not the Board. As shareholder meetings are closed, I do not know what is being discussed. Who, on the Board, is thinking about the parent’s point of view when it come to fee increases? The Board is a diverse mix of financial professionals, parents, locals, expats, etc. The voice of parents is heard at the Board level and a few members of the Board pay their own fees. The “voice of parents, both local and expat, is present at every Board meeting. Please re-look at your deficit. Go back to the drawing board, please. We will, thank you. The perception of the average Trinidadian is that ‘you cannot get into the school’. That is one of the items we need to address in the Marketing plan. We have an Open House on April 29th and we will be telling prospective parents that ISPS has spaces for children of all ages. Why do we have two police each morning? This contract has been re-negotiated and there will be fewer officers, but we will maintain the police presence.

Minutes from the Open Forum held on April 5, 2017

Next Open Forum – June 7th 2017

7:00pm in the Cafeteria.

NB – Parents encouraged to voice concerns.

Documents

Thursday 4th May, 2017 THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF PORT · PDF filethe rural lifestyle and to build ... ocelots, weeping capuchin monkeys, and red howler ... Thursday 4th May, 2017