22 April 2016 Volume 16
ES PARENT BULLETIN International School Manila
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
APR
27 Wednesday Morning Meeting, Student Late Start 8:30AM
29 School Holiday: No Classes
MAY
4,11,18, 25
Wednesday Morning Meeting, Student Late Start 8:30AM
5 Children’s Musical Theater, 6pm Fine Arts Theater
10 Parent Coffee, 7:45 - 9:00AM, Little Theater
6, 20 Parent Bulletin
27 4th Quarter Assembly, 8:00 - 9:00 AM
20 Kinder Concert - 8:00 - 9:00 AM Grade One Concerts - 1:00 - 2:00 PM Little Theater for both concerts
2 School Holiday: No Classes
9 National Elections: No Classes
From the ESESES Administration On Wednesday morning this week, our Service Learning Coordinators in the Elementary School, Inge Strange and Sophie Waddington, led the faculty and teaching / educa on assistants in a learning ac vity designed to develop greater understanding of what Service Learning means for children aged three to ten years. Part of the discussion centered on the idea of levels of children’s par cipa on in Service Learning experiences. Using “Hart’s Ladder of Par cipa on” as a framework for our conversa ons, teachers and TA’s talked about the kinds of projects that would be appropriate and engaging for our students as we strive to increase their empathy, provide them with opportuni es to transfer their skills and knowledge purposefully, and make choices that are healthy for themselves, for others and for the environment. As adults we can at mes underes mate the competence of children, and take control with the end result that the children have li le understanding of the issues at hand or their ac ons. There are, however, many projects designed and run by adults, with children having predetermined roles, that are very posi ve experiences for both adults and children. On Wednesday we looked at the different ways in which we can support our youngest students at ISM in ge ng involved and contribu ng, and move from the more tokenis c to more genuine models of par cipa on, where children are consulted, informed and decision‐making is shared. In doing so, we were reminded by our teacher‐leaders, and by the work of Roger Hart*, that the design of children’s par cipa on should not be considered as a simple measuring s ck of its quality. We have seen some wonderful service learning events recently that reflect a variety of models of learning ‐ such as the Recycling Expo in Kindergarten with PCF and Papaya Academy, the Preschool Plan ng Community Service, and Grade 4 students joining MS and HS students in Paranaque this weekend, for a beach clean up and mangrove plan ng. This week, the ES has par cipated in No Impact Week with themes of Nature, Reducing Waste, Saving Water, Energy Usage and Well‐being framing the Service Learning. Our goal is to make these experiences safe, collabora ve, developmentally appropriate, meaningful and inclusive, in ways that strengthen our community and bring children’s ideas to life.
* Children’s Par cipa on. From Tokenism to Ci zenship (1992). UNICEF Interna onal Child Development: Centre Spedale degli lnnocen Florence, Italy
Adam Campbell Michael Rourke Elementary Principal Elementary Assistant Principal
22 April 2016 Elementary School Parent Bulletin
2
ES No Impact Week Thank you to all families for helping to support No Impact week at ISM with conversations at home. The kids had a very successful week with many different grade level projects happening throughout the school. Happy Earth Day!
Recommended