AUGUST

MIDDLE SCHOOL MIDDLE SCHOOL MIDDLE SCHOOL

ISSUE # 1
SY 2014 2015
WEEK OF:
AUGUST 11 to 15
Weekly Publication for Middle School Parents
Friday Bulletin
Inside this issue:
Events & Actvites:
SEPTEMBER
Dear Middle School Parents,
Welcome to the start of the 2014/2015 school year. We have had an awesome
frst two days in Middle School, it has been a great opportunity to begin the year
and get to know our students and begin to build strong connectons and relaton-
ships that will enhance student learning throughout the year. As we have walked
around and visited classrooms these frst two days, we have observed a lot of
smiling faces and students engaging in opportunites to get to know each other
and to learn about their various courses and the learning they will undertake
throughout the school year.
This past two weeks we have been getng ready to start the year. We spent tme
with our new teachers orientng them to life in Manila, along with all the various
systems we have in place at ISM. We then spent three days with all faculty
getng everything set up. A major area we will be focusing on this school year is
the implementaton of our new grading system. We introduced these changes at
our May parent cofee last year, and we will also speak about this at our MS par-
ent cofee in September. Teachers will be sharing the new approach with stu-
dents and we will give you class specifc informaton at our upcoming Back to
School night which is scheduled for Wednesday, August 27 from 5:00 - 7:00
p.m. A separate email will be sent about the schedule for Back to School Night
and what to expect. Please note that we will not be opening our online grade
books through Power School untl the beginning of September (we normally open
them up in the second week of school) to allow us tme to ensure our new system
is up and running smoothly.
We would like to say a special Bearcat WELCOME to all of our new families to
ISM. We hope that your transiton goes smoothly and we invite you to meet with
us or our Counselor team should the need arise. We will be in close contact with
our new students helping them to learn all about their new learning environment
and to support friendship development.
On Monday, August 11 we will be having an actvity and club fair in the Lof House
from 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. Each grade level will come up and check out what is on
ofer for Afer School actvites this semester. Sign up will be available begin-
ning Thursday, August 14 following the link of the MS Actvity blog (htp://ms-
actvites.ism-online.org). Afer School actvites will ofcially begin on August 28.
Superintendents Ofce
Athletcs &Actvites
Sailfsh News
Afer-School Actvites
ISM Upcoming Events
11 Club Fair
22 School Holiday
27 Back-to-School Night
8-12 FCD
21 Natonal Holiday
23 Parent Cofee
14 New Parent Cofee
Club Fair
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Venue: Lofthouse
Date: 11th August 2014

Times:
Grade 5 - 2.00 P.M.
Grade 6 - 2.15 P.M.
Grade 7 - 2.40 P.M.
Grade 8 - 2.40 P.M.

Parents - 3.00 P.M. - 3.30 P.M.
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Contnuaton

We invite all new parents to a New Parent Cofee on August 14 from 7:45 - 9:00 a.m. in the Litle Theater -
this will be an informal opportunity for us to meet with you, the counselor team and other parents to begin
to network and to contnue to fnd out all you need to know about our school and community.
We hope everyone has a great start to the school year and we are looking forward to a great year of learning
in the Middle School.

Yours in Educaton,
Simon Gillespie, Middle School Principal
Amanda Pekin, Middle School Assistant Principal

Dear Parents,

Greetngs and welcome to the school year 2014/15 Internatonal School Manila. I hope that these weeks of summer vacaton
have given you the opportunity to enjoy some family tme together. As I am beginning to realize myself with my son and
daughter having just graduated from ISM and preparing to go of to university children grow up far too quickly!

I want to take this opportunity to remind you of some of the support services and campus procedures to ensure an orderly
and efcient school start. I hope you understand that, in such a large community, it is essental for us to establish certai n
agreements in order to make things easier for everyone.

School Ofce hours Monday Friday, 7 am 4 pm. Note that the Cashiers Ofce will close at 3pm to allow for the daily
bookkeeping.

Uniform Shop
The details of our full range of uniform items, along with prices, can be viewed on the ISM website and are available for in-
specton and purchase at the ISM Uniform Shop on the Plaza Level. For those students needing to try items on or requiring
measurements for alteratons a ftng room will be in operaton in the Fine Arts Theatre changing room 1123 untl the end of
August. The Uniform Shop hours of operaton are detailed below.
Extended days from July 24 to August 29, 2014
Monday Friday, 7 am to 4 pm

Regular hours start the week of September 1, 2014
Tuesdays and Fridays, 7 am to 4 pm

Smartcards (IDs)
All students will be provided with a Smartcard ID which contains a smart chip. This ID can be loaded with cash through the
on-site kiosks located in front of the canteen and near the ATM, online or at the main cashier located in the Business Ofce.
Guidelines for loading are online at www.ismanila.org under Student Services.

The smart cards can be used for making purchases in the Canteen, Bearcat Den, copy and print in the library, purchasing tck-
ets for school performances and for accessing MS/HS lockers, therefore it is important that students carry their IDs at all
tmes.

Parents may obtain a Smartcard ID through the Security Ofce at a charge of php 250.00.

Canteen
Parents can sign up for prepaid meals for Elementary School children. The Urban Chef (Internatonal Cuisine) and Yogi Chef
(Internatonal Vegetarian Cuisine) ofces have been moved to the ES Canteen, please proceed to their ofces for sign-ups.
Cost for lunch is Php100.00. You may refer to the ISM website for additonal informaton on the canteen concessionaires and
services.

We encourage all MS/HS students to use their ID cards for payments in the canteen. This will allow parents to monitor stu-
dent purchases through the Campuscard website and it will also speed up lines in the canteen during peak tmes.
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Bearcat Den
We invite all to visit the newly renovated Bearcat Den. The Den will be open from Monday - Friday from 7am - 4pm. The
Den will accept cash and smartcard ID (debit card) as modes of payment. We apologize but the Den does not process tax
exemptons, all those eligible must process documents through the BIR on their own.

Bus Service
In an efort to make the use of our bus service an atractve opton for student travel, we have, over the years, worked with
our service providers to keep the fees down to a compettve rate. Consistent with this we are pleased to announce that
there will be no increase to the bus rates for the start of School Year 14/15. Details of the bus fees are available on the ISM
website and from the Transportaton Ofce.

When we invited T Shutle Service into the school, we stressed the importance of making the bus service an atractve opton
for travel between home and school for as many students as possible. They have demonstrated a willingness to explore ways
in which they can, within the constraints of running an efcient and practcal service for the majority of riders, provide a via-
ble transport soluton for those who are interested in using the school bus service. Of course, there will always be certain
locatons or needs that cannot be provided for, but if the ofered bus service does not at frst appear to address a partcul ar
need, in regard to locaton or routng, parents are encouraged to discuss this with the Transport Ofce staf.

I urge all parents to consider making use of the ISM Bus Service for their students. Should parents wish to discuss in more
detail the school busing arrangements for the new school year, or they have any partcular concerns or needs they can con-
tact the ISM Transport Coordinator, Ms. Ruth Estella, on 840-8541 or email Ruth at EstellaR@ismanila.org.

Billing
Billing statements are available for online viewing on the School website to facilitate access. A user ID and password have
already been provided to existng parents and are available for every new parent. Parents are advised to maintain an up-to-
date email address for billing informaton and to view the online billing at least monthly for up to date charges. Please read
carefully the School Fees and Payment Schedule on the web. As was the case last school year, there will be no re-enrollment
deposit. Instead, we expect all departng families to complete the WITHDRAWAL NOTIFICATION FORM on or before May 8,
2015. Failure to do so will lead to a deducton of $1,000.00 from the Facilites Upgrade Deposit.

Payments
Payments may be in cash, check or through wire transfer in any of the BPI, HSBC, and Citbank branches. Please make sure
that the student ID number and the name of the student for whom the payment is being made is indicated on
the deposit slip, check, or in the bank instructon for wire transfer to ensure proper recording, and provide a
copy of the validated deposit slip / confrmaton receipt to Treasury Department. Take note of the corresponding
bank charges by each bank for wire transfers and over the counter transactons. Contact Treasury Ofce at 840-8506 if you
have questons.

Operatons 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 informaton and procedures outlined below.


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Parent IDs
The parent IDs issued in SY 2013/14 (black) will contnue to be valid for the new school year. The old parent IDs (burgundy)
issued before this year are no longer valid and must be replaced. Standard parent cards will be issued free of charge. Parents
may, however, elect to apply for a smartcard ID which will be usable with the cashless payment system introduced into the
school for SY 2013-14. There will be a fee of P250.00 for a smartcard.

Applicatons for parent IDs can be processed through the Security Ofce.

Student IDs
All students will be issued with new ID cards at the beginning of the new school year. The cards will be compatble with the
cashless payment system. There will be no need for returning students to visit the Security Ofce as we will be utlizing the
photographs taken for the yearbooks.

School Passes
School passes issued to parents employees and representatves need to be replaced for next school year. As of August 29,
2014 the grey bordered passes will be invalid.

The security ofce is now acceptng applicatons for new school passes, however the cards will not be available for collecton
before July 1, 2014. These passes will not be compatble with the cashless payment system.

Each family will be given two free school passes. Additonal school passes may be obtained afer paying a processing fee of
Php100.00 each to the Cashiers Ofce.

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

Car Stckers
The car stckers for school year 2014/2015 are available from the security ofce.

For vehicles already displaying an existng stcker, parents should submit a completed renewal form with a copy of a current
LTO ofcial receipt. For new vehicles, parents are reminded that a copy of the vehicles certfcate of registraton and a cur-
rent ofcial receipt need to be submited with the applicaton. Applicatons for vehicles registered with companies or other
insttutons should be supported by a leter of assignment.

Each ISM family will be issued one vehicle stcker free of charge. Any additonal stckers will be issued following payment of
P100 to the cashiers ofce.

In order to facilitate the easy recogniton of authorized cars at the gates, the stckers should be afxed to the top right corner
of the windshield. ISM stckers issued in previous years must be removed.

Vehicles not displaying a current car stcker will not be allowed access from August 29, 2014.

Vehicular Access
During drop-of and pick-up tmes, vehicles may enter through Gates 2 and 3. Those entering through Gate 2 should proceed
to the drop of area and, once the student has alighted or boarded, they should exit via Gate 1. Those vehicles entering
through Gate 3 must turn into the covered parking area and use the designated drop-of areas. All vehicles must exit
through Gate 1.
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Please note that Gate 2 may only be used by those drivers and passengers who have an ISM ID card and who are in a vehicle
displaying a valid ISM vehicle stcker.

Alternatvely, vehicles entering through Gate 3 may park in the covered car park. The spaces reserved for parent-driven cars
should only be used by those vehicles which are driven by parents themselves. Vehicles in which parents are traveling, but
which are driven by a driver, should not use these spaces. Rather, they should park elsewhere in the covered car park or
make use of the outside spaces next to the power center.

Visitors to ISM must enter through Gate 3. There is an area for short-stay visitor parking near Gate 1.

The Pedestrian Gate
The pedestrian gate is located in the perimeter fence mid-way between Gate 1 and Gate 2. There is a paved area between
the road and the perimeter fence, allowing easy access to the gate. The pedestrian gate is solely for the entry of members of
the ISM Community at the beginning of the school day. It will only be open between 7:00 am and 7:45 am (8:00 am to 8:45
am on Wednesdays). Due to parking restrictons, and in the interests of security, it will not be open in the afernoon for pick-
ups. During the tme it is open, it will be under the supervision of members of the ISM Guard Force.

Drivers should stop adjacent to the paved area and students should alight from the right side of their vehicle. The driver
should then move of, clearing the space for other vehicles dropping of students. Under no circumstances should a student
be dropped of from the middle lane. This is dangerous as the student would need to walk in front of another vehicle. Driv-
ers are reminded that trafc regulatons forbid parking on the roads around ISM. Therefore, vehicles should only be stopping
for the brief tme it takes for a student to alight. Drivers must not wait for anybody to return to the vehicle.

Drop Of/Pick Up Passes
Following their introducton in 2012/13, we will be contnuing the use of pick up and drop of passes at Gate 3. This is for non
-regular drivers who are entering school to drop of or collect visitors or members of our community but who do not intend
to park within the campus. Our regular checks to confrm the identty of drivers and their purpose for entering the campus
will contnue to be made, but we will not retain a photo-ID in return for the issued pass. The use of these new passes will
avoid delays at the Gate 1 exit and reduce trafc congeston at busy tmes.

Vehicle checks
The practce of inspectng vehicles will contnue. During of-peak hours all vehicles will be checked before they are allowed
to enter the campus.

During peak hours (drop of and pick-up tmes), all vehicles without valid stckers and randomly selected vehicles with stck-
ers will be asked to undergo an examinaton.

Whether an examinaton is conducted or not, it is important that the security staf at the gates are able to identfy the occu-
pants of vehicles entering the campus; therefore IDs must be clearly displayed. Vehicles with tnted windows must roll down
windows to allow a clear view of the interior of the vehicle.
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Drivers, Helpers and Bodyguards
Drivers, helpers and bodyguards should not wait on campus for students throughout the school day. Afer dropping of stu-
dents they should exit the school grounds and not return earlier than 30 minutes before dismissal tme. Those who repeat-
edly fail to comply with the regulaton 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 tme.

There are designated areas for unaccompanied drivers, yayas, helpers and security escorts to wait for parents and students.
Unless specifcally authorized, they may not enter any other area. In the interest of security, and to prevent congeston at the
pedestrian entrances to the covered parking area, parents are requested to emphasize to their employees the importance of
cooperatng with the security staf and remaining in the appropriate areas.

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

Security staf directons
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 partcular, all those entering our campus are requested
to comply with any directons given to them by members of our guard force.

If you are confused or unclear as to the purpose of such instructons, please seek clarifcaton from the security ofce. Please
note that it is the parents responsibility to advise their staf accordingly.



Thank you for your cooperaton. We are looking forward to another great year at Internatonal School Manila.


Best wishes,



DAVID TOZE
Superintendent
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Welcome to SY 14-15 Bearcats and a special welcome to all our new families! The ATAC (Athletcs/Actvites) Department
hopes you setle in quickly to enjoy all that ISM and the Philippines has to ofer.
Parents and students, please take some tme to peruse the ATAC blog ( htp://atac.ism-online.org/ ) as it has a wide varie-
ty of informaton and links to our sports and actvites program. If you have any questons regarding the compettve pro-
gram of sports at ISM afer reading the informaton on the blog, please send an email to pekinm@ismanila.org and I will
endeavor to assist you as best I can.
Informaton about 1st season sports (Volleyball, Soccer and Cross Country) was given at the new student orientaton and
at school assemblies to all students. If you are trying out for teams, you must atend all tryout sessions to ensure coaches
can gain an accurate assessment of your ability.
The ATAC program began with tryouts for HS 1st season (volleyball/soccer and cross country) teams Friday, August 7 and
8 and tryouts will contnue next week August 11 and 12.
MS tryouts for our 1st season teams start next week August 11, 12 and 13. Flyers are posted on notce boards around
school and on the schedules pages on the ATAC blog. Please note any grade 8 boy or girl interested in playing soccer who
is born '00 must atend HS tryout sessions. Grade 8 soccer players born '00 are too old to play in the MS soccer compet-
ton and thus you must tryout for the JV girls soccer or the Aspirants boys soccer teams. The age rule is only applicable for
soccer! All grade 8's were advised of this at their assembly.
ES Soccer Rifa Festval Teams: ES soccer players in grade 1-4 will have their tryouts for the Rifa Festval competton
teams - August 11, 12 and 13 at the ES feld. Parents please note that students need to atend all three sessions at the ES
feld. Coaches will be there to help them register and get started. See more detailed informaton about the ES Soccer Fes-
tvals at this link: htp://atac.ism-online.org/atac/1st-season/es-soccer-rifa-league-festvals/. Informaton fyers are also
posted on the ES notce board and will be posted under the big tent at the ES feld.
The AFAC (Afer School Actvites) program has a wide variety of recreatonal/experiental oferings for ES and MS stu-
dents. Informaton and online registraton can be accessed via the ES and MS AFAC blogs. AFAC programs for ES/MS
begin on August 28th.
New Bearcat Den! Drop by our fantastc new spirit store to meet Rica
and Francine and give them a big Bearcat welcome. There is a range of
new products and items to purchase including items from our service
partners.
Each week I will post a new artcle on the ATAC blog and include it in
the Friday divisional bulletns with current informaton about ATAC hap-
penings and upcoming sports matches.

Have a great year at the home of the Bearcats!

Regards,
Mark Pekin
Director of Athletcs/Actvites
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MS boys A1 and A2 (born 01-02) and
MS girls soccer players: Please note
your tryouts on Monday & Tuesday
(Aug 11-12) are on tennis courts at the
roof. Soccer cleats are not allowed.
Please bring your PE/running shoes.
Your fnal tryout on Wednesday
(August 13) will be at HS and MS felds.
Please bring your soccer cleats
for Wednesday's session! Pass the
word to your friends!!!
Sailfish Swim Team Try Outs


Returning Swimmers
Please re-register online by Monday 11th August REGISTRATION FORM 14/15. This will con-
frm your return and spot on the squad.

New Swimmers
Tryouts will run Monday 11th- Wednesday 13th August. They will begin at 2:30 p.m. for ES
and 3:15 p.m. for MS/HS. You will need to bring swim suit and any other kit you require. You
will be partcipatng in a short simple training session that should be no longer than 30
minutes.

The fnal Sailfsh Team will be announced on Wednesday evening on the Sailfsh Website.

Training
Training will commence on Thursday 14th August. On Wednesday 20th August we will have a
full informaton and team building session for ALL SQUADS, ES 2:30-3:15pm and MS/HS
3:15 - 4:30 p.m.
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AFAC start date is on AUGUST 28th !!!
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