International School Manila

ES PARENT BULLETIN
Volume 14 28 March 2014

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

MAR
31 - Apr 4 Grades 2 - 4 Spotlight on Specials

From the ES Administration

DearParents,
Grades2,3and4SpotlightonSpecials FromMonday31stMarchun lFriday4thApril,wewillbeconduc ngour SpotlightonSpecialsweekinGrades2,3and4.Thisisanopportunity forallparentstocomeandspendsome meinourArt,MusicandPE lessonsandexperiencethelearningwithyourchild.Bepreparedto actuallytakeanac veroleinthelearninganddosomeArt,MusicorPE. Ourinten onhereistogiveyouaninsightintowhatlearningfeelslike inthesecurriculumareasandsupportfollowupconversa onswithyour child.Obviouslyweencourageallourparentstobeapartofour classroomsatany methroughouttheschoolyear. Weknowthatthestrongerthepartnershipanddiscoursebetweenhome andschool,thebe erthelearningisforyourchildren.JohnHa e (Routledge,2009),inhisVisibleLearningbook,asynthesisofover800 metaanalysesrela ngtoachievementinschools,hadthefollowingto say,(pg.70), Parents need to hold high aspiraons and expectaons for their children, and schools need to work in partnership with parents to make their expectaons appropriately high and challenging, and then work in partnership with children and the home to realize, and even surpass, these expectaons. Too oen, the alienaon of the home from the school reduces the inial expectaons.

APRIL
2
K-12 Counselling Parent Workshop, 7:45 - 9:45AM Little Theater (Mindfulness) Wednesday Morning Student Late Start, 8:30AM Spring Break (NO CLASSES) Parent Bulletin Early Student Release at 12nn PS, K, Grade 1 - Parent Teacher Conferences Grades 2 - 4 - Three Way Conferences

2, 23, 30 9 - 18 25 29, 30

AtISM,weaimforhomeandschooltoshareintheexpecta ons,suchthatourstudentsdonothavetoliveintwoworldswithli le understandingbetweenhomeandschool. Hopefullyyouwillgetthechancetobeinourclassroomsnextweekandintothefuture,gaininganinsightintothelanguageoflearning atISMandhelpingensurethatbothhomeandschoolbecomeoneworldforyourchild. Thankyou Wearecominguptotheendofwhathasbeenalongquarteroflearning.Wehavewelcomednewstudentsandparentsintoour community,hadassemblies,witnessedourChildrensMusicalTheater,sweatedatSportsDay,andbeenwowedbyourArtExhibi on andyourchildren,intheirStudentLedConferences.Asalways,thesupportthatwereceivefromourparentsandwidercommunityis pivotalinmakingISMsuchagreatplacetolearn,workandcollaboratein.Thankyou.Pleasedohaveawonderful,res ulandsafe Aprilbreak,whereveryoumaybe.

Adam Campbell
ElementaryPrincipal

Michael Rourke
ElementaryAssistantPrincipal

Elementary School Parent Bulletin

28 March 2014

From the PE Team

Wehavehadmanynewfamiliesarrivethissemesterandsowouldliketowelcomeallthosefamiliesandletyouknow someinforma onabouttheESPEprogram.Childrenneedtowearthecorrectathle cfootwearandPEuniformonthedaysthey arescheduledforPE.(Noipopsorcrocsorsandals)TheyarewelcometobringachangeofshoestoschoolforPElessons. Chasingeeinganddodginggames,kickingpun nganddribblingac vi esrequireathle cshoestoincreasesafetyandsuccess! Wealsoaskchildrentobringafullwaterbo lewiththeirnameonittoallPElessonsandalsowearahatforallPElessonssched uledontheESField.ParentsarealsowelcometojoininorwatchPElessons. ThePEdepartmentmanagearecessboxintheESPlazawithsportsequipmentforchildrentouseduringtheirplay me.Children simplyneedtohandintheirschoolIDtoasupervisorlocatedattherecessbox.Attheendofplaychildrenreturntheborrowed equipmentandcollecttheirStudentIDcard.Thissystemhelpsstudentsberesponsible.Ifachilddoesnotreturntheequipment theirIDwillbehandedintotheirchild'sPEteacher. Lastlywehaveawebsitewhichhasalistofthephysicalac vi eschildrencanbecomeinvolvedinandaroundManila.Check outh p://sportsmanila.wikispaces.com/ Alloftheaboveinforma oncanalsobefoundonyourchild'sPEteacher'sblogalongwithschedules,videos,photosandother informa onaboutPElessons.WehavejustpostedvideosfromtherecentESPEstudentledconferencesforKindergartenand Grade1.

Amanda Pekin
ES PE Program Leader

Elementary School Parent Bulletin

28 March 2014

From the Admissions & Advancement Office

HowtoAccesstheOnlineReEnrollment
1.LoginthroughtheParentPortal.h p://203.177.92.107/ParentPortal/ 2.EnteryourUsernameandPassword.ClickLogin.Pleasecontacttheschooloceifyouhaveforgo enyourusername/pass word.

Elementary School Parent Bulletin

(Connued from page 4)

28 March 2014

From the Admissions & Advancement Office

3.ClickthePowerschoollink

4.ClicktheReenrollmentClearancemenu

Elementary School Parent Bulletin

28 March 2014

5.ClicktheCreateReenrollmentClearanceFormlink

6.UpdateDemographicinforma on.ClickSubmitwhendone.

Elementary School Parent Bulletin

28 March 2014

7.UpdateClinicinforma on.ClickSubmitwhendone.

8. Downloadtheappropriateformsandsubmittotherespec veocesimmediately.

Elementary School Parent Bulletin

28 March 2014

9.ClickSignOutwhendone.Youwillreceiveconrma onemailsandanalClearanceFormonceallstepsarecomplete.

Returning for school year 2014-2015? DearParents, Pleasetakeamomenttoreviewthereenrollmentprocedureforyourchildtoa endclassesonAugust7,2014. STEP1Pleasecompletethisstepimmediately. YouarerequiredtologintoPOWERSCHOOLbeginningMarch17thtocompleteSTEP1oftheprocess. A erMay22ndyouwillnothaveaccesstoPOWERSCHOOLandthismayresultinadelayforyourchildtoa endclassesonthe rstdayofschoolforschoolyear20142015. Pleasecheckwww.ismanila.org>Admissions>Reenrollment&Withdrawalpageforthedetailedstepbystepguideandre quiredformsforstudentsenteringGrade1,6and9.ToaccesstheParentPortalandPowerSchool,pleasedownloadthePDFin struc onsthere. Theformsshouldbecompletedandsubmi edtotheappropriateocesatany mepriortothestartofschoolintheFall.We encourageyoudostartthisprocessNOWtoavoidlonglines. Forinforma onregardingyourPOWERSCHOOLaccessinforma onpleasecontacttheschoolinwhichyourchildiscurrently enrolled. Forinforma onregardingourHealthClinicClearanceprocedures,pleasecontacttheClinicatclinic@ismanila.org. Forinforma onregardingbillingortui onandfees,pleasecontactourTreasurydepartmentatvillar@ismanila.org(forbill ing)andesguerrae@ismanila.orgorfelipen@ismanila.org(fortui onandfees).

MaywerequestthatifyouareNOTRETURNINGthatyousendtheAdmissionsOceyourocialWITHDRAWALNOTIFICATION FORMimmediatelyasthiswillhelpustoclearstudentaccount(s)ina melymanner.Werequestoneformperchild. Pleasenote:Parentswhofailtono fytheschoolbyFriday,9thMaythattheirchildrenareleavingISMwillforfeitUS$1,000from eachFacili esUpgradeDeposit. Weappreciateyourassistancewiththisprocedureaswehavemanyanxiousfamiliesawai ngwordregardingspacesfortheir childrenforschoolyear20142015.

Stephanie Hagedorn
Director, Admissions & Advancement

Elementary School Parent Bulletin

28 March 2014

Re-enrollment: SY1415 Returning Students: Medical Update

DearParents, Asyoumayknow,foranumberofyearswehavehadrequiredmedicalcheckupsforstudentsatdierentstagesin theirschoollives:G1;G5;G9.Inrecogni onoftheincreasingconcernabouthearthealth,especiallyinconjunc on withphysicalexerciseinatropicalclimate,weshallbeintroducingamandatoryElectroCardiogram(ECG)testfor olderstudents. SuddenCardiacDeathinAdolescents,especiallyduringspor ngac vity,isarecognizedsyndromeandwellover100 childrenayeardieofthisintheUSA.Medicaladviceisthatitmakessensetotestonlystudentswhoare12yearsold andbeyond.Inlightofthis,weshallnowhavetwothresholdsformedicalexamina onsinsteadofthepresentthree. ThesewillbeinGrade1andGrade6.AtGrade1,therewillbeaphysicalexamina onperformedbyadulyaccredited doctorasisthecaseatpresent.AtGrade6,therewillbeasimilarphysicalexamina onbutwiththeaddedcompo nentofanECG.AllnewstudentsbetweenG1andG5willhaveaphysicalexamina on;allnewstudentsfromG6 onwardwillhaveaphysicalexamina onandtheECG. Inorderto"grandfatherout"ourpresentcohortofstudents,pleasenote:

IncomingG6studentswillhaveanECG,butwillnotneedaphysicalexamina on,sincethiswasdonewhenthey
enteredG5

IncomingG9studentswillhavethefullmedicalexamina onandanECG. IncomingG7andG8willhavethefullmedicalexamina onandanECGwhentheyenterG9. Weshallcon nuetoencourageverystronglyallathletespar cipa nginVarsitysportstotakeanECG.

Overthecourseofthenextyears,thiswillmeanthatallISMstudentsfromG6onwardswillhavehadabasicheart checkup.TheECGisnotdeni ve,andthereisamoresophis catedcheckthatthedoctorwillrecommendifany thingintheECGcausesconcern.ThetestitselfisveryreasonablypricedandisreadilyavailableatStLukesandMa ka MedicalCenteraswellasotherhospitals. Pleasetakeamomenttoreviewourreenrollment melineandproceduresforallstudentsreturningforschoolyear 20142015:REENROLLMENTURL:h p://goo.gl/rCwCAo IdounderstandthataddingthisrequirementofanECGmaybeseenasanaddi onalchoreforparentsandstudents atthe meofreenrollment,butifsuchatestsavesevenonelifethenitwillbewellworththeextraeort. Sincerely,

David Toze
Superintendent
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Elementary School Parent Bulletin

28 March 2014

From the Business Office: Treasury Department

IMPORTANTADVISORY:USdollarChecksfromCi bankNAPhilippineBranch DearISMParents,
InaccordancewiththerecentadvisorymadebyCi bankN.A.Philippines,pleasebeinformedthatstar ngJanuary01,2014,CITI BANKUSDollarAccountchecksdrawnfromCi bankN.A.PhilippineBranchwillnolongerbeclearedthroughCi bankN.A.Agana Guam. Ineect,CITIBANKchecksdepositedtoalocalbankorbankabroadwillbetreatedascollec oncheckswithclearingperiodofnot lessthan45days.Thesaidcheckswillnolongerbeacceptableforoutrightcredittobothforeigncurrencydepositunit(FCDU)and PESOaccountun lthereceiptofcreditadvicefromCi bankNAPhilippines. Acollec onfeewillalsobeimposedbydepositorybanks(pleaseseechargesfromBPIandHSBCbelow). BPIcharges1/4of1%foreveryPhp1.00orafrac onthereofplusaxedpostagefeeofPhp6.50andminimumcharge foroutwardbillsforcollec onisPhp100.00excludingpostagefee. HSBCchargesUSD$3forcredittoUSDaccountandPhp100forcredittoPesoplusotheraddi onalprocessingfeethatmaybe chargedbythereceivingbank. Foranyqueryonyourpayment,pleasecontactourTreasuryDepartmentCashiers(ElmerEsguerraandNerissaFelipe)84085 12,forbilling(RhodaVilla8408522)orMarissaDulayat8408506 BelowisthecompleteadvisoryfromCi bankN.A.Philippines.

USDCheckClearingServices
Pleasebeadvisedthateec veJanuary01,2014,USDollarchecksissuedfromyourCi bank,N.APhilippineBranchDollarCheck ingAccountcannolongerbepresentedandclearedthroughCi bank,N.A.Agana,Guam,U.S.A.underUSFederalReserveSys tem.AllUSDollarAccountchecksdrawnfromCi bankN.A.PhilippineBranch,whicharedepositedinalocalbankorinabank abroad,willbetreatedasacollec onitembypresen ngbank.Theclearingperiodwillthuschangefrom15daystoes mated45 daysdependingontheprocessofthepresen ngbankoncollec onitems. inaddi on,beginningDecember15,2013,pleaserefrainfromissuinganyunusedexis ngUSDollarCheckstoyourpayees.We encourageyoutoorderanewsetofUSDollarcheckbooksforfutureuse. Shouldyouhaveanyques onspleasecontactCi Serviceat8026000.

IMPORTANTADVISORY:HSBCBankChargeforHSBCCheckDeposits
Pleasebeinformedthatstar ngJanuary01,2014,HSBChasimposeda$4.00bankchargeforeachHSBCcheckdeposit.Overthe counterHSBCcheckdepositsfromparentsandcompanysponsorsarealsocoveredandchargedbythesameamount.Inthisre gard,wewouldliketoremindallourparentsandsponsoringcompaniestopleaseadd$4.00whenpayingHSBCcheck(s)orde manddra toISMCashier'sOceorfordirectdeposits,toHSBC.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE TEXTBOOK CENTER

Refund for LOST, PAID and Returned Textbook/s

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, PAYMENTS MADE FOR LOST TEXTBOOKS WILL ONLY BE REFUNDED, IF THE BOOK IS RETURNED WITHIN THE CURRENT SCHOOL YEAR OR THE FOLLOWING SCHOOL YEAR, AT THE LATEST. For questions, please email textbook@ismanila.org or call 840-8517. Thank you. 9

Elementary School Parent Bulletin

28 March 2014

From the ATAC Office

3rdseasonprac cescheduleforMS/HSstudentsispostedontheschedulespagesofthe(ATACblog)andonno ceboardsaround school. Pleasenote the 4th season schedule for team training and elduse fromApril 21 June3will be posted prior to thebreak. Training sessions for our 1st season teams (volleyball/soccer) and for other groups will be on this schedule. 4th season training is openforcurrentgr8'sthroughgr11students.CurrentGrade8swhowillbefreshmannextyearandarekeenontryingoutfor1st seasonsportsinAugustshouldcomealongtothesesessionstomeetthecoachesandshowthemyourskills. SaturdayCommunity Tennis runs throughun l the end ofMay. see the yer on the blog for exactdates and details. This is open to ISM community members only, outside guests are not allowed. Contact Coach Czarina to book lessons with our ISM Tennis Academycoachesh p://atac.ismonline.org/atac/saturdaycommunitytennis/ The next track meet at ISM is this comingSaturday March 29thand the nal local meet for season will beApril 5that Brent.Meetresultscanbefoundherefollowingthemeetsh p://atac.ismonline.org/atac/3rdseason/trackmeetresults/ So ball games this weekend Varsity girls take on Adamson Universitytoday a er school and the JVgirls travel to Brent for adou bleheaderSaturdaymorning. New families please take some me to peruse the ATAC blog as this will help orientate you with the wide variety of cocurricular programsISMoers. Agreat wayto stay intouchwith the ISMATAC program is to subscribevia RSS feed to the ATACblog and alsoto follow latest up datesandeventsviatwi er(seetwi erfeedonthebloghomepage) EachMondayI will post the weeks happenings and highlight important events for students and parents informa on on the ATAC blogandintheweeklyFridayparentbulle ns. GAMESCHEDULEPDF:(accesstogamescheduleinforma on)Informa onaboutallmidweek/weekendxturesforISMteamscan be found via the ATAC blog.Please note the game schedule does change o en due to involvement with many local schools so please check the page regularly to nd out the latest informa on of where and when the Bearcats teams are playing.Click on schedulestabortheBearcatlogotobedirectedtothepowerschoolsecuresiteh p://powerschool.ismanila.org/public/ Youwillneedyourpowerschoolusernameandpasswordtoaccessthegameschedulepdf. BEARCAT DEN:h p://atac.ismonline.org/bearcatden/Check out the link for exci ng news about a new Bearcat Den shop plannedfornextschoolyear.ThenalBearcatDenmee ng/volunteersthankyoulunchfortheyearisMay22nd.Finaldayofden salesisJune3.ThenewandimprovedDenshopwillbeopenforbusiness5daysaweek7am4pmstar ngAugust7th2014. The Bearcat Den is open for business, please drop by to check out the range of new Bearcat products (new hoodies, umbrellas, lanyards,stadiumseatshaveallarrived) HaveagreatyearattheHomeoftheBearcats!

Mark Pekin
Athletic Director

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

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