International School Manila

ES PARENT BULLETIN
Volume 12 28 February 2014

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

MAR
5, 12, 19, 26 14, 28 14 17 17-21 18 21 Wednesday Morning Student Late Start, 8.30AM Parent Bulletin ESL Afternoon Tea Art Exhibit (Opening), 730 - 9AM (FAT Lobby) Art Exhibit (FAT Lobby) Student-Led Conferences International Day

From the ES Administration

DearParents,
ToTweetorNottoTweet,thatistheQues on.
Overthepastyearwehavehadincreasingnumbersofclass communi esstar ngtoembracetheworldoftwee ngasa meansofcommunica ngtheirlearningtoawider audience.ForthosenewtoTwi er,atweetisa140 characterpost,whichcanincorporatetext/images/video, deliveredtoaspecicaddressthatisfollowedbyothers. Howisthisrelevanttolearning? Forourstudentsitgivesthemarealaudiencetosharesome oftheirunderstandingsthattheyencounterduringthe day.Astheyarelearningsomething,weareencouragingour studentstopresspauseandthinkabouttheirlearning,ina metacogni veway.Whatarewelearningnow?Whyare welearningthis?Italsohelpsthemdeveloptheskillsof wri ngforaspecicpurposeandinaspecicformat.For ourwidercommunityitgivesyoualivefeedintowhatis actuallyhappeninginourclassroomsonaregularbasis. Butisn'tthisdumbingdownourstudentsabilitytowrite formally? Ourstudentswritedailyforotherpurposesand audiences.Theyares lldevelopingandhoningtheirskillsin howtowriteacrossavarietyofothergenressuchas persuasivewri ng,narra ve,reportwri ng,recountsand proceduralwri ngamongstothers.Twee ngdevelopstheir wri ngskillsinanotherformatforaspecicpurpose. Whileteacherswillcertainlyno ceiftheirstudentsare inaccurateintheirspellingandgrammarchoiceswhile twee ng,Twi erdoesn'taimtotargetthemechanicsof languagebutgiveschildrenanopportunitytowritefor meaning.

31 - April 4 Grades 2 - 4 Spotlight on Specials

APRIL
2, 23, 30 9 - 18 25 Wednesday Morning Student Late Start, 8.30AM Spring Break (NO CLASSES) Parent Bulletin PS, K, Grade 1 - Parent Teacher Conferences Grades 2 - 4 - Three Way Conferences

29, 30

Elementary School Parent Bulletin

28 February 2014

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From the ES Administration

ProfessionalLearningDay On Tuesday the Elementary Faculty spent their day exploringavarietyofareasoflearning aspartofouron going professional dialogue. In par cular, we looked at thefollowingareas: How we support the teaching of empathy and perspec vewithinourclassrooms. WhatpersonalinquirylookslikeatISM. What type of physical environment supports inquiry basedlearning.

Presen ngtheAnnualISMAquathon2014Sat1st March,7:3011:30am OpentoallISMStudent/Faculty/Sta/ParentCommunity alongwithBSM&MJS. RACE18:00amStart

13/14yrs1518yrsAdult Run600mSwim400m(16lengths)Run1500m
RACE28:30amStart

It is great to be part of a faculty who are so invested in their own ongoing professional growth and the desire tomodellearningasalifelongpursuit.

9/10yrsand11/12yrs Run300mSwim300m(12lengths)Run1000m
RACE39:15amStart

Adam Campbell
ElementaryPrincipal

Under8yrs Run200mSwim200m(8Lengths)Run500m
RACE410:00amStart

Michael Rourke
ElementaryAssistantPrincipal

RelayStudent/Student,Adult/Student,Adult/Adult, Run600mSwim800m(32Lengths)Run1500m
AwardsCeremony11:00am EntryFee300pesos(ISMCommunitypleasepayat cashierandbringreceiptonraceday). RaceRoutesPleaseseea acheddocuments,orGohere towatchroutevideo:h p://goo.gl/Olfc92 (Pleasenoteallslippery ledsurfaceswillbecoveredand marshalswillbeonalltransi onspots). EntryForm:h p://goo.gl/nnHolr

Pizza Day!
Every Friday is Pizza Day for Elementary School (grades 1-4). The pizzas are being supplied by Piadina. Pizzette Quattro Formaggi Pizzette Margherita - Php 60.00 - Php 50.00

Holly Chapman
SailshCoach

Coupons will be sold at the undercovered ES playground every Friday from 6:30 a.m. up to 7:30 a.m. These coupons are then redeemed by the students at the ES Cafeteria during their lunch break.

Elementary School Parent Bulletin

28 February 2014

From the Music Team

You are cordially invited to attend the Grade 3 and Grade 4 Music Concerts

From the Alumni Office

"In This World Together"

Friday, March 21, Fine Arts Theater Grade 3 - 8:30am Grade 4 - 1:00pm

From the Art Team

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.

Elementary School Parent Bulletin

28 February 2014

From the Admissions & Advancement Office

UPDATEYOURCONTACTDETAILSTHROUGHTHEISMPARENTPORTAL

DearParents, WearepleasedtoinformyouthatyourchildsPowerSchoolaccountmaybeaccessedthroughtheISM ParentPortal.AsidefrombeingagatewaytoPowerSchool,theParentPortalalsoprovidesinforma onon schoolevents,usefullinks,aswellaschildspecicacademicblogsandstudentpor olios.Shouldyouneed tomakeanychangestoyourcontactinforma on,visittheParentPortalandfollowthestepsbelow:

STEP1:GOTOwww.ismanila.org

Note:PowerSchoolopensinanewtab,allowing userstoreturntotheParentPortalany me.

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28 February 2014

From the Admissions & Advancement Office

Note:Anemailno ca onwillbesenttoyour registeredemailaddressregardingthechangesmadeon PowerSchool.

Elementary School Parent Bulletin

28 February 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 February 2014

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From the Admissions & Advancement Office

LeavingISM? ForthosestudentsthatwillbewithdrawingfromInterna onalSchoolManilathisschoolyear(SY1314),thefollowingprocedure applies: ParentsareobligedtoociallyinformtheAdmissionsOceinwri ngthroughaWithdrawalNo ca onFormatleast een(15) dayspriortoyourchildslastdayofschool. Forthoseleavingattheendoftheschoolyear,youMUSTsubmitaWithdrawalNo ca onFormonorbeforeMay09,2014. Failuretodosowillleadtoadeduc onofUS$1,000fromtheFacili esUpgradeDeposit(FUD)incompensa onforhavinghelda spaceforthechildandthuspreven ngtheSchoolfromoeringthatspacetoanotherchildpriortothesummerholidaybreak. TheWithdrawalNo ca onFormcanbeobtainedfromtheAdmissionsOceordownloadedfromtheISMwebsitehere.Admis sions>ReEnrollment&Withdrawal>Withdrawal WehopethatyourchildhashadanenrichingstayatISMandwishyouandyourfamilytheverybestinthefuture. Regards,

Stephanie Hagedorn
Director, Admissions & Advancement

From the ATAC Office

3rdseasonprac cescheduleforMS/HSstudentsispostedon theschedulespagesofthe(ATACblog)andonno ceboards aroundschool. SaturdayCommunityTennishasresumedandwillrunthrough un ltheendofMay.seetheyerontheblogforexactdates anddetails.ThisisopentoISMcommunitymembersonly,out sideguestsarenotallowed.ContactCoachCzarinatobookles sonswithourISMTennisAcademycoachesh p://atac.ism online.org/atac/saturdaycommunitytennis/ WelldonetoallourMS/HStrackathleteswhocompetedatthe 1stISMmeetfortheseasonlastSaturday.Meetresultscanbe foundhereh p://atac.ismonline.org/atac/3rdseason/track meetresults/ March1stistheSailshAquathon.SeeCoachHollyorSailsh Blogfordetails. March1stBrentTrackmeetandBrentBadmintontournament forMS/HSteams SaturdayCommunityTennishasresumedandwilloperate throughun ltheendofMay.seetheyerontheblogfor datesanddetails.ThisisopentoISMcommunitymembersonly, outsideguestsarenotallowed.ContactCoachCzarinatobook lessonswithourISMTennisAcademycoachesh p://atac.ism online.org/atac/saturdaycommunitytennis/ Newfamiliespleasetakesome metoperusetheATACblogas thiswillhelporientateyouwiththewidevarietyofcocurricular programsISMoers. AgreatwaytostayintouchwiththeISMATACprogramisto subscribeviaRSSfeedtotheATACblogandalsotofollowvia twi er(seetwi erfeedonthebloghomepage) EachMondayIwillposttheweekshappeningsandhighlight importanteventsforstudentsandparentsinforma ononthe ATACblogandintheregularFridayparentbulle ns. GAMESCHEDULEPDF:(accesstogamescheduleinforma on) Informa onaboutallmidweek/weekendxturesforISMteams canbefoundviatheATACblog.Pleasenotethegameschedule doeschangeo enduetoinvolvementwithmanylocalschools sopleasecheckthepageregularlytondoutthelatestinfor ma onofwhereandwhentheBearcatsteamsareplaying.Click onschedulestabortheBearcatlogotobedirectedtothepower schoolsecuresiteh p://powerschool.ismanila.org/public/ Youwillneedyourpowerschoolusernameandpasswordto accessthegameschedulepdf. BEARCATDEN:h p://atac.ismonline.org/bearcatden/ The Bearcat Den is open for business, please drop by to check out the rangeof Bearcat products. Wehave a great team of vol unteers who run the den and are always looking for more peo ple to help out. If you are interested in joining a fantas c group 7

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28 February 2014

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From the ATAC Office

pleasecontactanyofourdenmembersduringdenopeninghoursorpleasecontactCarolynChingforde tailscarolynqching@yahoo.com.WearealwayslookingfornewvolunteersandencourageparentsfromES/MStojoinourgroup. TheBearcatdenisnowcallingforvolunteerstotakeonPORs(posi onsofresponsibility)fornextschoolyear1415)assecretary, treasurer,volunteercoordinator,inventory/merchandiseandsnackspurchasing.Ifyouareinteresteddropanemail topekinm@ismanila.org HaveagreatyearattheHomeoftheBearcats!

Mark Pekin
Athletic Director

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. 8

Elementary School Parent Bulletin

28 February 2014

ANNOUNCEMENTS