ISSUE # 5

SY1617

MIDDLE SCHOOL
WEEK OF:

Friday Bulletin

Weekly Publication for Middle School Parents

SEPTEMBER 5 TO 9

Inside this issue:

Dear Parents,
As the first month of school comes to a close, its wonderful to see that our newly
remodeled library continues to be a big hit with our students. Each month our MS
Librarian, Meg Parry, collects data on student book checkouts. Below, you will find
longitudinal data for the month of August from 2012 - 2016. As you can see, book
checkouts for August 2016 are at an all time high!

MS Service Learning

Operations & Security

Admissions & Advancement

Athletics & Activities

(ATAC)

ISM Upcoming Events

STUDENT ATTENDANCE:

August 2016 = 3,622

August 2015 = 1,149
August 2014 = 1,150
August 2013 = 2,753
August 2012 = 2,846
Whist it is challenging to isolate all the variables that impact book checkouts, it appears that our front-facing bookshelves and more inviting library space are key factors.
THIS WEEK:
Parent Information Session:
Date: Wednesday, September 7th 2016
Time: 08:45 - 09:15
Location: AMR
Focus: Alliance Franaise French Classes at ISM.
More details can be found below in the Nice to Know section.

On those days when a student

needs to be absent from school, we
ask that a parent inform the Middle
School Office via:

E-MAIL:
ms@ismanila.org
PHONE:
840-8550
840-8553
It is the responsibility of the student
to communicate with their teacher
when they return to school to make
up for work missed as a result of
any absences.

COMING UP IN SOON:
September 12th and 13th:
No School
Monday, September 12th (Holiday)
Tuesday, September 13th (Faculty In-Service Day)
Thursday, September 15th:
Parent Coffee
Time: 07:45 - 09:15
Location: Little Theater (LT)
Presenter: Dr. Gini Rojas (External consultant)
Focus: Supporting Multilingualism
Tuesday, September 20th:
Parent Coffee
Time: 07:45 - 09:00
Location: Little Theater (LT)
Focus: Measures of Academic Progress
MAP testing in MS starts on Monday, September 26th
NEED TO KNOW:
MAP Testing:
The Measures of Academic ProgressTM (MAP) tests are adaptive computerized assessments that students take in
each level from Grade 3 through to Grade 10. We have two testing windows each academic year. The first testing
window takes place in September/October (Fall testing season) and the second takes place in March (Spring testing season). Students take three different tests - Math, Reading and Language Usage. The assessments are untimed and take place in the regular classroom setting.
On Tuesday, September 20th, before our September/October MAP testing commences, we are hosting a joint ES
and MS Parent Coffee. If you would like to learn more about these standardized assessments, why we use them
and how we use the data collected, we hope you will plan on joining us.
NICE TO KNOW:

Alliance Franaise French Classes at ISM:

There will be separate classes for:
children who are beginners in learning the French language.
children who have had some experience and previous proficiency speaking
French (second language).
children who speak French as their mother
tongue.
Interested in having your child join these classes? There will be a parent information session on
Wednesday, September 7 from 8:45 - 9:15 in the
AMR.
Best Regards,
Rachel Harrington, Middle School Principal
Amanda Pekin, Assistant Middle School Principal
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To participate, students simply pick up a

permission slip from the MS office two weeks
before the trip. Once its been signed and
returned to the office, a
student can sign up on the
roster. Some trips fill up
quickly so encourage them to
sign up early. And yes, parents
are welcome to attend!
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Dear Parents,
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
The parent IDs issued since SY 2013/14 (black) will continue
to be valid for the new school year. 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 201314. There will be a fee of P250.00 for a smartcard.

quired to submit copies of the registration documents of

their vehicles. They are instead asked to confirm through
the application form that the vehicle has minimum Third
(3rd) Party Insurance, is legally registered and is fully compliant for operation on the roads under Philippine Laws. For
those vehicles not registered in a parents name a letter of
assignment will still be needed.
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. ISM stickers issued in previous
years must be removed.

Applications for parent IDs can be processed through the

Security Office.
Vehicles not displaying a current car sticker will not be allowed regular access from August 31, 2016.
Student IDs
All students will be issued with new ID cards at the begin- Vehicular Access
ning of the new school year. The cards will be compatible During drop-off and pick-up times, vehicles may enter the
with the cashless payment system. There will be no need campus through Gates 2 and 3. Those entering through
for returning students to visit the Security Office as we will Gate 2 should proceed to the drop off area and, once the
be utilizing the photographs taken for the yearbooks.
student has alighted or boarded, they should exit via Gate 1.
Those vehicles entering through Gate 3 must turn into the
School Passes
covered parking area and use the designated drop-off areas.
School passes issued to parents employees and representa- All vehicles must exit through Gate 1.
tives need to be replaced for this school year. As of August
31, 2016 the brown bordered passes will be invalid.
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
The security office is now accepting applications for new vehicle displaying a valid ISM vehicle sticker.
school passes. These passes will not be compatible with the
cashless payment system.
Alternatively, vehicles entering through Gate 3 may park in
the covered car park. The spaces reserved for parent-driven
Each family will be given two free school passes. Additional cars should only be used by those vehicles which are driven
school passes may be obtained after paying a processing fee by parents themselves. Vehicles in which parents are travelof Php100.00 each to the Cashiers Office.
ing, but which are driven by a driver, should not use these
spaces. Rather, they should park elsewhere in the covered
Visitors Passes
car park or make use of the outside spaces next to the powAll visitors must secure a pass from the guardhouse at Gate er center.
3. Before entry will be allowed, a telephone check will be
made with the relevant office to confirm the visitors busi- Due to parking restrictions, and in the interests of security, it
ness within the school. Visitors will need to surrender a pho- will not be open in the afternoon for pick-ups. During the
to-ID upon entry to campus.
time it is open, it will be under the supervision of members
of the ISM Guard Force.
Car Stickers
The car stickers for school year 2016/2017 are available Drivers should stop adjacent to the paved area and students
from the security office.
should alight from the right side of their vehicle. The driver
should then move off, clearing the space for other vehicles
Starting last school year 2015-16, parents are no longer re- dropping off students. Under no circumstances should a
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student be dropped off from the middle lane. This is dangerous as the student would need to walk in front of another vehicle. Drivers are reminded that traffic regulations forbid parking on the roads around ISM. Therefore, vehicles
should only be stopping for the brief time it takes for a student to alight. Drivers must not wait for anybody to return
to the vehicle.
Drop Off/Pick Up Passes
For non-regular drivers without ISM identification who are
entering school to drop off or collect visitors or members of
our community, but who do not intend to park within the
campus, a drop off pass will be issued. Our regular checks to
confirm the identity of a driver and their purpose for entering the campus will continue 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 traffic congestion at busy times.
Vehicle Checks
The practice of inspecting vehicles will continue. During offpeak hours, all vehicles will be checked before they are allowed to enter the campus.

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.

During peak hours (drop off and pick-up times), all vehicles If you are confused or unclear as to the purpose of such inwithout valid stickers and randomly selected vehicles with structions, please seek clarification from the security office.
stickers will be asked to undergo an examination.
Please note that it is the parents responsibility to advise
their staff accordingly.
Whether an examination is conducted or not, it is important
that the security staff at the gates are able to identify the Thank you for your cooperation. We are looking forward to
occupants of vehicles entering the campus; therefore IDs another great year at International School Manila.
must be clearly displayed. Vehicles with tinted windows
must roll down windows to allow a clear view of the interior
of the vehicle.
Best wishes,
MIKE FLYNN
Drivers, Helpers and Bodyguards
Director of Operations
Drivers, helpers and bodyguards should not wait on campus And Security
for students throughout the school day. After dropping off
students they should exit the school grounds and not return
earlier 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
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Today we host the ISM twilight XC meet on campus with

the MS race at 5pm followed by the HS race at 5:30pm vs
Brent/BSM/Faith teams. This is a great evening of running
action for our XC teams so come on out to cheer on our
Bearcat runners at the HS field. We also host Brent volleyball teams with matches starting at 4:15pm in the HS
and MS gyms for Varsity and JV games.

ward to community support to cheer on our Bearcats

teams and to host and house our visiting IASAS athletes
from our sister schools.
For our Sailfish swim team program please check the Sailfish blog for information http://sailfish.ism-online.org/
For our All Year Round teams- Wall Climbing, Chess, Judo,
TKD, Aikido, Table Tennis -As these programs are year
round it is possible for students to join during the year as
Saturday Sept 3 is the first of the ES/MS Rifa soccer festi- long as space is available. See link to information and
vals. Online permission forms have been sent via email to schedule to attend and meet the coaches. All year round
parents please ensure you have completed the permissports teams
sion form for your child to participate in the upcoming
series of soccer festivals. At this is the rainy season it is
MS Activities (after school)- This year Coach Holly Chapalways good to know our procedure for extreme weather man is the coordinator of ES and MS activities. All inforevent cancellations. Please see this link to get an overmation for the ES/MS Activities programs can be found at
view of the process if matches are cancelled at short no- their respective blog pages http://es-activities.ismtice due to extreme weather events. extreme weather
online.org/ and http://ms-activities.ism-online.org/
and cancellation procedures
Please note the practice times for ATAC programs for SY
16-17 are as follows: ATAC all year round teams- 3:15For ES/MS soccer- Festival information can be found via
4:30.
this link including the dates for upcoming festival SaturSee schedule for our All year round
days. ES Rifa Festival information and MS Rifa soccer inteams program here...
formation
See Sailfish blog for swim squad start and finish times.
Upcoming events:
ATAC Gymnastics team practices 3:10-4:50 M/W/F
Fri Sept 2 ISM Twilight XC MS 3km 5pm/HS
All HS seasonal teams practice from 3:05- 4:50pm on
5km 5:30pm. Come on out to cheer on our ISM run- their respective practice afternoons. MS seasonal teams
ners as they take on the XC teams from Faith/Brent
practice from 3:15-4:45pm.
and BSM in our annual twilight XC challenge race.
In order to clear the campus prior to 5pm all after school
Fri Sept 2 HS Volleyball vs Brent- Varsity games
programs will conclude by 4:50pm or earlier. The last bus
from 4:15pm at HS gym and JV games at MS gym
is 4:55pm this is due to the ever increasing traffic confrom 4:15pm
cerns in our area.
Sat Sept 3 ES/MS Rifa Festival #1 E and G teams at
ISM 8am start. C1,2,3 teams at BSM 8am start
Parents and students please take some time to peruse
Sat Sept 3 MS Girls Rifa Festival #1 ISM. 1pm start.
the ATAC blog it has a wide variety of information and
Sat Sept 3 Table tennis away at Xavier
links to our sports and activities program. If you have any
questions regarding the competitive program of sports at
Access for parents to the weekday and weekend game
ISM after reading the information on the blog please send
schedule page- go to the link provided below and follow an email to pekinm@ismanila.org and I will endeavor to
the instructions to find out when and where our Bearcat assist you as best I can.
teams will be playing. The ATAC(Athletics) Game schedule
is housed within the parent portal to ensure secure acBearcat Den- drop by our fantastic spirit store. There is
cess for ISM parents http://atac.ism-online.org/
a a range of new products and items to purchase includschedules/
ing items from our service partners. Bearcat Den hours of
operation- 7am-4pm Mon-Fri.
Please take the time to navigate the ATAC blog http://
atac.ism-online.org/ as it is our one stop shop for all inGO BEARCATS!
formation related to the competitive ISM sports program.
We are planning for a big year of sports at ISM in SY 16Best Regards,
17. We are hosting IASAS Basketball in February and
Mark Pekin
IASAS Golf and Badminton in 3rd season. All of these
Director of Athletics and Activities
IASAS events will be fantastic to host and we look for7

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