MIDDLE SCHOOL

Weekly Publication for Middle School Parents

Friday Bulletin
ISSUE # 04
WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 03 TO 07, 2012

From the Middle School Office

Dear Parents: In the classroom, the students are taught about the writing process (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing and publishing) and the traits of good writing (ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, and conventions). Writing, a skill that each one of us needs, is often a challenging task for many students. You can lend your support by using the language of the traits when discussing writing at home with your child. For example, when your child shares a piece of writing with you, read it aloud. Then, follow up on the trait of IDEAS (the meaning and development of the message) by sharing your feedback on the following questions: 1. What was the most important thing you learned from the writing? 2. What interesting details were included that taught you something new? 3. What questions about this topic would you like to have answered in the next draft? 4. Which paragraph do you think best demonstrates your child's knowledge of this subject? Adapted from: 40 Reproducible Forms for the Writing Traits Classroom by R. Culham & A. Wheeler By responding to the ideas in the written work, you can help your child narrow the focus of the paper and encourage greater use of details. I used to say to my students, "I want to see a mind movie when I read your writing," and one way to view that movie is through a specific focus on ideas and detailed descriptions. Together, using a shared vocabulary, we can help them become more confident writers. Friday, September 7 marks the midpoint of the first quarter. Progress reports for students earning a C- or equivalent in any subject can be viewed through PowerSchool. If you are unable to access your account or have forgotten your login information, please contact the Middle School Guidance Office at 840-8555. As part of our wellness program and ongoing commitment to health education, consultants from Freedom from Chemical Dependency (FCD) Educational Services will visit ISM from September 10 14. FCD is a non-profit organization that provides substance abuse prevention education for schools and colleges in the United States and around the world. Since 1976, they have taught over a million students of all ages. Their mission is to:

Inside this issue:

Service Learning Trips From the PTA Office Calling for Grade 5 Parent Volunteers From the Guidance Office From the Athletic & Activities Office Parenting with the Brain in Mind Adult Language Courses in ISM Cub Scouts ILLAM Baseball and Softball 2 3 5 6 7 8 10

UPCOMING EVENTS
SEPTEMBER
01 04 07 08 Service Learning Trip (Habitat for Humanity) PTA Bearcat Welcome (7:30 A.M., Lofthouse) Gr. 5 & 6 New Student Social Service Learning Trip (La Mesa Watershed) FCD Visit Service Learning Trip (PCF) MS/HS Parent Coffee (8:00 A.M., LT) Courtyard Event (3:00 P.M.) School Holiday (Faculty In Service) MAP Test Gr. 5 to 8 Teambuilding/Classroom Without Walls

Provide

educational communities with the guidance and training necessary to implement comprehensive, effective approaches to substance abuse prevention students, parents, teachers, and school administrators on the physiological and psychological effects of alcohol and other drugs awareness of drug addiction, including alcoholism, as a progressive, chronic and often fatal disease intervene appropriately use

10 to 14 15 18 20 21 24 to Oct. 17 27 to 28

Educate

Promote

Teach students and adults how to recognize the early warning signs of substance abuse and to Empower young people to make healthy, responsible choices regarding alcohol and other drug Encourage
and support the non-use of alcohol and other illegal or illicit drugs during the growing years.

A parent meeting on Thursday, September 13 starting at 8:00 A.M. in the Little Theater has been scheduled and all parents are invited to attend. For the duration of their stay, FCD presenters will meet with students, counselors, wellness teachers and administrators. We are confident that this program will be a valuable educational experience for our school community. We hope you will join us on Thursday, September 13. Have a relaxing weekend! Yours in Education, Simon Gillespie Middle School Principal Clarissa Sayson Middle School Assistant Principal

OCTOBER
05 Gr. 5 & 6 Party

POWERSCHOOL GRADE UPDATE

September 07 Progress Report Distribution September 20 Grade Update

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Service Learning Trips

Upcoming Service Learning Trips: September 1 - Habitat for Humanity September 8 - PAWs September 15 - PCF Permission slips are available in the MS Office.

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Calling for Grade 5 Parent Volunteers

Dear Grade 5 Parents, We are looking for volunteers to help us during the Grade 5 Classroom Without Walls (CWW) activities. Be part of the Amazing Race! If you would like to help, please email the Middle School Office (msoffice@ismanila.org) Help us make it a wonderful experience for your children! Thank you. Grade 5 Team

From the Guidance Office

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From the Guidance Office

The Secret of Childrens Self Esteem by Dr. Josephine M. Kim now available in the Library.

Update your contact information!

Please get in touch with the Admissions Office (840-8488) or Middle School Office (840-8550/840-8553) if there has been any change in your home address, email address, and contact numbers. We want to keep you updated with what is happening in school.

Were on the web! www.ismanila.org

IF YOU HAVENT LOGGED ON TO POWERSCHOOL

please call the Guidance Office at 840-8555 or email msguidance@ismanila.org to obtain your username and password.

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From the Athletics & Activities Office

The 1st season practice schedule from August 14th to October 12th is posted on notice boards around school and is available on the ATAC blog (http:// atac.ism-online.org/schedules/hs/). Information about our ES soccer teams and the RIFA festivals can be found here http://atac.ismonline.org/atac/1st-season/es-soccer-rifa-leaguefestivals/ and flyers have been posted on ES notice board and on the notice board located under the tent at the ES field. See the information link for the MS 7 A side soccer teams http://atac.ismonline.org/atac/1st-season/ms-soccer-rifa-leaguefestivals/. The next RIFA League 7 A side festivals will be held on the dates/venues below: Saturday, September 15 and September 22 Midgets C teams (C1, C2, C3 and C4 Coach Eric/Chris/Kleng and Jays teams) at ISM kick-off at 8:00 A.M. to 12:00 noon. Midgets E teams (E1 and E2 Coach Popoy and Coach Francis) at CSA kick off at 8:00 A.M. Midgets G teams (G1 and G2 Coach Mike and Coach Isas teams) at British School Manila kickoff at 8:00 A.M. MS girls festival at ISM 1:00 P.M. Finals will be played at Ateneo on October 13th for teams that qualify. Permission slips will be issued to all players via the coaches at training prior to each festival. Please consult the ES and MS links above to get the latest information. The All year round program for Sailfish, Tae Kwon Do, Judo, Aikido, Table Tennis, Chess, Gymnastics and Wall Climbing is now in full swing. For detailed information about our Sailfish Swim Team program, please visit the Sailfish blog http://sailfish.ismonline.org/ and get in contact with Coach Andy. Students can join our all year round teams at any time, just go and talk with the coaches at the venues after school if you are interested. 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). 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 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 PowerSchool secure site http://powerschool.ismanila.org/public/. You will need your PowerSchool username and password to access the game schedule. HS Student registration for ATAC activities: (new for school year 12-13) A Google doc registration is now available for all HS students who will take part in any ATAC seasonal sports teams, MUN and Cultural Convention programs. Please take the time to complete this online registration for activities that you plan on joining this school year. Please access the form via the HS Student Registration tab found under the Helpful Shortcuts bar on the ATAC blog home page. (Please note this is for HS students only and you must use your school email address to access the link. Personal gmail or hotmail addresses will not allow you to access the page) BEARCAT DEN: http://atac.ism-online.org/bearcatden/ Our Bearcat Den is up and running and 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 Melanie Ball, our volunteer coordinator, at melaniehball@gmail.com. We have a new range of dri fit t-shirts now available along with new Bearcat bags. Regular Opening Hours for the Bearcat Den: Wednesday and Friday, from 11:30 A.M. 1:00 P.M. & 2:30 P.M. 4:00 P.M. Tuesday & Thursday afternoons, from 2:30 - 4:00 P.M. Have a great year at the Home of the Bearcats! Regards, Mark Pekin Director of Athletics/Activities

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Parenting with the Brain in Mind

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Adult Language Courses at ISM

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ILLAM Baseball and Softball

Registration for the upcoming baseball/softball season will take place on August 25 and September 1, from 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. at the Colegio San Agustin (CSA) Baseball-Softball field (located inside Dasmarinas Village). We will also have a special on-campus registration for ISM families at the ISM Bearcat Welcome on September 4, 7:30-9:00 A.M. at the ISM Lofthouse. For 36 years, the International Little League Association of Manila (ILLAM) has shared the love of baseball with the ISM community through its T-ball, Coach Pitch, Softball and Baseball programs. A volunteer association, ILLAM is affiliated with Little League Philippines and Little League International Inc., an American organization based in Williamsport, Pennsylvania which handles and supports Little League baseball and softball programs globally and hosts the Little League World Series annually every August. The ILLAM baseball season runs from September through February. Practices are typically once a week after school, and games are usually scheduled on Saturdays. The registration fee of P6,000 covers uniforms, field rentals and umpire fees as well as yearbooks and trophies/medals for each player. For inquiries, please contact Noela Lagajino at 0912-3155345 or email us at myillam@hotmail.com.