ISSUE # 3

MIDDLE SCHOOL
WEEK OF: SEPTEMBER 2 to 6

SY 2013 2014

Friday Bulletin
Inside this issue:
Middle School Office Admissions & Advancement Security Office Drama Department MS Media Center ATAC Office ISM Upcoming Events

Weekly Publication for Middle School Parents

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 officially open the evening in the FAT at 5:00 P.M. with a brief introduction. 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 attend this eventwe are hoping for 100% participation! With three weeks under our belt, school is definitely up and running and the students are more settled into routines. The after school clubs and activities began this past week, and we appreciated everyones understanding and patience 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 activities, please make sure that the appropriate transportation arrangements are made for your child. If your child is not participating in a scheduled, supervised activity, 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 demonstrating 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. Students are arriving at school in proper uniform, getting to class on time, and making use of their planners to track homework and assignments. Starting 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 aheadPreparations are underway for the September Classroom Without Wall (CWW) activities which will take place on September 26 and 27. Grade 5 students will remain on campus while grades 6 to 8 venture out on overnight trips. Information and permission slips will be sent home through Advisory so please keep an eye out for the handouts. Have a fabulous weekend! Yours in Education, Simon Gillespie Middle School Principal Clarissa Sayson Middle School Assistant Principal

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Powerschool Update:
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Progress Reports Access

Events & Activities:

SEPTEMBER

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Bearcat Welcome MS Open House Parent Workshop FCD Parent Coffee

Dear Parents,

Research confirms that strong and supportive community is a foundational component of effective learning and social emotional 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 -emotional component of our program a priority. We've expanded our guidance program, initiated the Student Ambassador program, and emphasized individualized student support at all levels of teaching and learning. This year, we have taken several new strides towards supporting 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 relationship, organizational, and communication skills. Second, we have revamped the House system by creating eight new houses. This will create new opportunities for vertical interaction between grade levels and provide a fun and active context to build school spirit. These changes add to our already dynamic student activities, service learning, and pastoral care programs. Finally, the administration team has created my new position, the Student Advisory Coordinator. Ill be organizing Advisory themes and professional development for teachers, as well as coordinating service learning, student council and various other aspects of student life in the Middle School.

We firmly believe that the conditions under which teaching and learning take place are as important as the content being delivered. When students feel connected to a strong and supportive community, all aspects of learning and personal 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 questions or feedback about these changes, dont hesitate to contact me at willeyc@ismanila.org.

Truly,

Cory Willey MS Student Advisory Coordinator 5

Dear Parents, Please be reminded that keeping your contact information updated is vital to facilitating communication with the school. If you would like to view/change any of the details on your current record, simply follow the steps below:

Dear Parents,

Operations 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 information 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 replacement program, the old parent ID cards will be valid for school access until the end of the first 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 registration fee the school is required to pay for each card issued. The security office is now processing applications for the new parent IDs. As we require new photographs for the cards parents are asked to visit the security office for the taking of their picture.

School Passes
School passes issued to parents employees and representatives need to be replaced for next school year. As of August 31, 2013 the orange bordered passes will be invalid. The security office is now accepting applications for new school passes. These passes will not be compatible with the cashless payment system. Each family will be given two free school passes. Additional school passes may be obtained after paying a processing fee of Php100.00 each to the Cashiers Office.

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 office to confirm the visitors business within the school. Visitors will need to surrender a photo -ID upon entry to campus.

Car Stickers
The car stickers for school year 2013/2014 are available from the security office. For vehicles already displaying an existing sticker, parents should submit a completed renewal form with a copy of a current LTO official receipt. For new vehicles, parents are reminded that a copy of the vehicles certificate of registration and a current official receipt need to be submitted with the application. Applications for vehicles registered with companies or other institutions should be supported by a letter of assignment. Each ISM family will be issued one vehicle sticker free of charge. Any additional stickers will be issued following payment of P100 to the cashiers office. In order to facilitate the easy recognition of authorized cars at the gates, the stickers should be affixed to the top right corner of the windshield. Further to this, old ISM stickers issued in previous years should be removed.

In order to facilitate the easy recognition of authorized cars at the gates, the stickers should be affixed to the top right corner of the windshield. Further to this, old ISM stickers issued in previous years should be removed. Vehicles not displaying a current car sticker will not be allowed access from August 31, 2013. During peak hours (drop off and pick-up times), all vehicles without valid stickers and randomly selected vehicles with stickers will be asked to undergo an examination. Whether an examination is conducted or not, it is important that the security staff at the gates are able to identify the occupants of vehicles entering the campus; therefore IDs must be clearly displayed. Vehicles with tinted 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. After dropping off students they should exit the school grounds and not return more than 30 minutes before dismissal time. Those who repeatedly fail to comply with the regulation 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 time. There are designated areas for unaccompanied drivers, yayas, helpers and security escorts to wait for parents and students. Unless specifically authorized, they may not enter any other area. In the interest of security, and to prevent congestion at the pedestrian entrances to the covered parking area, parents are requested to emphasize to their employees the importance of cooperating with the security staff and remaining in the appropriate areas.

Firearms
All members of the ISM community are reminded that it is strictly forbidden for firearms to be brought onto the campus. This includes concealed weapons carried by bodyguards for close protection. Any person arriving at the school with a firearm should inform the gate guard and arrangements will be made for the weapon to be safely and securely stored during the visitors stay.

Security staff directions

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 particular, all those entering our campus are requested to comply with any directions given to them by members of our guard force. If you are confused or unclear as to the purpose of such instructions, please seek clarification from the security office. Please note that it is the parents responsibility to advise their staff accordingly. Thank you for your cooperation. We are looking forward to another great year at International School Manila.

Best wishes, MICHAEL FLYNN Director of Operations

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

ISTA (International Schools Theatre Association) PRESENTS....

Chinese superheroes and landscapes from classical to modern

Guangzhou Middle School Festival:

When: November 22 - November 24 2013 (not including travel days) Where: Guangzhou, People's Republic of China (Check out the website for more details: http://www.ista.co.uk/whats-on/festival/guangzhou-middle-school-festival/Group Auditions will be held on Monday, September 23rd, and Wednesday, September 25th, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. in Room 1149. Plan to attend ONE SESSION, where you will play improv games and do acting exercises with individual components. Sign up with Ms. Grev and Ms. Rankin, and pick up an audition form!
Thank You, Ms. Carrie M. Grev Theater & Music Educator
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Dear Students in grades 8 and 9 and their families: We have 3 New York Times Bestselling authors visiting ISM on September 12th! Through a special arrangement with National Bookstore, on September 12th, 2013, our 8th and 9th graders will have the opportunity to listen to, and engage with: Margaret Stohl- featured book- Icons #1 of the seriesAlison Noel- featured book- Mystic #3 of the seriesMelissa De La Cruz- featured book- Frozen #1 of the seriesThese writers of Young Adult fiction will discuss their motivation and inspiration for writing, as well as answer questions during an assembly on 12 September from 7:45 am until 8:45 am. The targeted audience age group for these dystopian fiction novels is from upper Middle School through High School age. Some of the books deal with more mature ideas and concepts. National Bookstore has copies of all of these, and there are limited copies available in the MS and HS Media Centers for pre-reading. National Bookstore will also be selling pre-signed copies of their latest publications during the day of the assembly, plus copies of some of the authors other titles at a 20% discounted rate! If your student would like to purchase one of the newest releases, the costs for the newest releases are:

Title Icons- paperback Mystic- paperback Frozen- paperback

20% discounted rate from National Bookstore Php 319.20 Php 372.00 Php 396.00

It is very exciting to have these authors visit our school; I am sure they will be an inspiration to many promising authors here in the Middle School and High School! Kind regards, Meg Parry and Alicia Duell MSMC and HSMC Teacher/Librarians

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: RIFA Soccer Festival 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 notice boards for this announcement. This cancellation was made last Tuesday and has been posted on notice 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 flooding. We will keep you posted as to when the festival will be rescheduled!
Up to date information about our ES soccer teams, the RIFA festivals etc. can always be found here: http://atac.ism-online.org/atac/1st-season/es-soccer-rifa-league-festivals/ To all parents, please note that permission slips will be issued to all players via the coaches at training prior to each festival with all festival details. The 1st season practice schedule which runs from August 19th to October 11th is posted on notice boards around school, and is also available on the ATAC blog. http://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 support for our ISM varsity teams. Soccer matches will start at 4:00 p.m. at the HS and MS fields 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 first 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 time to peruse the ATAC blog as this will help orientate you with the wide variety of co-curricular programs ISM offers. 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 twitter (see twitter 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 information on the ATAC blog and in the regular Friday parent bulletins. GAME SCHEDULE PDF (access to game schedule information): Information about all mid-week/ weekend fixtures for ISM teams can be found via the ATAC blog. Please note that the game schedule does change often due to involvement with many local schools, so please check the page regularly to find out the latest information 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: http://powerschool.ismanila.org/public/ You will need your power school user name and password to access the game schedule pdf. BEARCAT DEN: http://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 fantastic group please contact any of our den members during den opening hours or please contact Carolyn Ching for details carolynqching@yahoo.com. 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 Athletics/Activities

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 fields 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 SoftballIts more fun in ILLAM!
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