ISSUE # 32

SY1617
MIDDLE SCHOOL

WEEK OF:
Friday Bulletin Weekly Publication for Middle School Parents

MAY 8 TO 12
Inside this issue:
Dear Parents, MS Play:
Man of La Mancha 4
As you are aware, ISM conducts the Measures of Academic ProgressTM (MAP) twice a
year - once in October and again in March. After each test event, we communicate the MS/HS Art Show
MS Film Festival
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results to parents via an individual Student Progress Report. This report communicates
your childs results in the areas of Reading, Language Usage and Mathematics. In the
past, we have sent this report home in an envelope with your child. However, this year, MS Library 5
we have uploaded each childs Student Progress Report to PowerSchool. Parents are
asked to follow the step-by-step instructions below to access this report:
Athletics and
Athletics & Activities
Activities(ATAC) 6

Clinic 8

Admissions & Advancement 9

ISM Upcoming Events 10


We appreciate that some of our parents are new to the MAP
tests and so we have included some FAQs below:
What do the numbers mean?
The results of MAP tests are reported in RIT (Rasch Unit)
scores. RIT scales are a different type of score from a
typical test. Test items match student performance on
the given day of testing and are reflective of the number
of questions a student answered correctly and the level
of difficulty the question was pitched at. MAP tests are
adaptive, so the difficulty level adjusts according to stu-
dents answering correctly or incorrectly. The RIT scores
are then normed to offer grade level equivalencies. RIT
scores range from about 100 to 280. Students typically
start at the 180 - 200 level in Third Grade and progress
to the 220 to 260 level by High School.
What is the Student Score Range?
If your child were to take this test again tomorrow, it is
most likely that his / her score would fall within this
range. The middle number in bold is the RIT score your
child received for this test event.
What is the Norm Group Average?
The Norm Group average is the average RIT score for
students in the United States in the same grade for MAP
tests taken at the beginning, middle and end of the
school year, according to 2015 data. The US Norm group
study results were based on over 20,000 student sam-
ples for each grade level from over 13,000 schools.
What is the District Average?
The District Average is the average RIT score for all stu-
dents at ISM tested at the same time within the
same grade level.
What is Student Growth and Typical Growth?
Student Growth shows your childs growth in
RIT score from the previous Fall (beginning of the
school year) to the Spring (middle or end of
school year). Typical Growth is the average
growth in RIT score, according to 2015 data, for
students in the United States in the same
grade. Students receive Student Growth and
Typical Growth data only once a year.
What is the reason for doing MAP testing?
MAP tests make up one part of the external
assessment practices, as outlined in the ISM As-
sessment Policy. These tests provide the school
with data to inform teaching and learning, and
provide a reference point for the ongoing devel-
opment of the school-wide curriculum.
They also give data that allows us to look for
trends within certain areas of our curriculum.
Our MAP testing results at ISM for students in Grades 3
10 show that our academic program measures excep-
tionally well against US norms.
What if the report shows a decline in a growth target?
It is important to keep in mind that not all students will
meet growth targets every time they test. Factors such
as sleep, time of day of testing, and how the student is
feeling can all affect results of a standardized test. In
addition, it is possible that a student encounters ques-
tions on the test that addresses content that has not yet
been taught.
What does ISM do with the information that MAP provides?
Teachers use the data from MAP testing to inform learn-
ing and teaching. It assists in determining, which skills
require enhancing, which skills students have already
developed, and which skills need to be introduced. MAP
tests also provide our school with a reference point for
the ongoing development of the school-wide curriculum.
This data allows us to look for trends within certain are-
as of our curriculum.
At ISM, we believe that sound assessment involves creating a
multitude of ways to measure and communicate student
learning over time a photo album versus a single snap-
shot. As such, we are mindful of the role standardized
testing plays in the assessment of student learning. We are
also informed by the internal assessment data designed by
our teachers and aligned with ISMs curriculum and adopted
standards. Furthermore, the cornerstone writing piece, and
our students self assessments also provide very useful in-
structional data.
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If you have any questions about your childs results this se- arranges for National Bookstore to set up a temporary
mester, please speak to your childs Math or English teacher. School Supply Store here on campus should you find
You may also wish to consult the NWEA (North West Evalua- this option more appealing.
tion Association) website at www.nwea.org for the Parent
Toolkit as this contains more in-depth information. MS Party - Bearcat Idol:
If you experience difficulty accessing your childs MAP Stu-
dent Progress Report, please contact the MS Office and we When: Friday, May 19th
will be happy to help you. What: Bearcat Idol (Think American Idol featuring our
very own ISM MS Bearcats)
THIS WEEKEND: Time: 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Friday, May 5th - Saturday, May 6th: MS Play Where: ES Field and ES Playground
What: Man of La Mancha Who: G5 - G8 students (No guests from outside ISM are
Where: FAT allowed)
Time of Shows: Tickets: 100 pesos plus the parent permission slip
Friday = 6:00 p.m. Can parents attend? Parents of the performers are wel-
Saturday = 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. come to attend - even if your child tells you no parents
Tickets: Can be purchased from the Cashiers are allowed!
Office.
Students 150 PHP Please note that the Parent Permission Slip will be sent home
Adults 300 PHP in next weeks Parent Bulletin and tickets go on sale on
Wednesday, May 17th - Friday, May 19th.
THIS WEEK:
If your child wishes to attend this event, please make sure
May 4th - May 17th: Explore Art Exhibition:
you make the necessary arrangements for your son/daughter
What: Art Exhibition Opening - MS and HS piec-
to be picked up at 8:00 p.m.
es of work
Where: FAT Lobby
Time: Any time

Saturday, May 13th: ES/MS Dance Recital

Where: FAT
Time: 3:00 - 4:30 p.m.

NEED TO KNOW:
Supply Lists for Next School Year:
In order to help all families prepare for the coming academic
year, we have decided to post the respective grade level sup-
ply lists on the school website. In next weeks Parent Bulletin
(May 12th), we will share step-by-step instructions to help
you quickly locate these lists. For now, please take note of
the following:

Supply lists for G5, G6, G7 and G8 will be shared via the
school website on Monday, May 15th
We respectfully request that all students come to school
on Monday, August 7th with all of these items.
Teachers will make time on the first day of school to
help students organize their supplies so they are set up
for a successful start to the school year. Students who
do not have their supplies on time, will miss this key
session. Kind regards,
Parents are welcome to purchase the items wherever Rachel Harrington, Middle School Principal
they choose. However, please be aware that the PCA Amanda Pekin, Assistant Middle School Principal

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After months of rehearsal, the cast and crew for cho search of adventures, they end up fighting
the MS Play are excited to open the show this wind mills, fall for the beautiful Aldonza, over-
week. comes bandits, are robbed and finally stands up
to their arch enemy.
This years play is the musical Man of La Mancha,
which is based on the legend of Don Quixote. MAN OF LA MANCHA became one of the most
Over 70 MS students are involved on stage or be- successful musicals in Broadway history when it
hind the scenes, making this one of the biggest was first released , winning 5 Tony awards in
MS activities of the year. 1966. Powerful, brutal, hilarious, and heartbreak-
ing, MAN OF LA MANCHA celebrates the perse-
In addition, we have another 20 HS students sup- verance of a man who refuses to relinquish his
porting as either members of the band or as back ideals or his passion. Sure, he is a little crazy, but
stage helpers. Please come and support the stu- sometimes that is what is needed if we are to
dents and staff who have been working since De- pursue our passions in life. The scores most fa-
cember to bring you a wonderful show. mous and enduring number is The Impossible
Dream
Performance Dates:
Thursday May 4th@6pm
Friday May 6th @6pm
Saturday May 6th @ 2pm
Saturday May 6th @6pm
The show takes place in the ISM
FAT
It lasts about 1 hour and 30
minutes, which includes a 15 mi-
nute intermission.

Tickets:
Tickets cost 150PHP for students and
300PHP for adults. They are for sale
from the cashiers office or on the elec-
tronic kiosks. There are no ticket num-
bers and it is open seating.

Show synopsis:
17th century writer Miguel Cervantes
wrote the famous book Don Quixote. In
this musical, Cervantes decides to tell
Don Quixotes story one last time be-
fore his manual script is burnt. The mu-
sical is therefore a play-within-a-play,
where the plot jumps back and forth
between Cervantes the story teller and
the adventures of Don Quixote the
crazy knight. As Don Quixote and San-
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 May 19:
All MS Library resources due from students and parents

May 29 June 7:
Summer borrowing available in the MS Library

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Practice schedule for S4 sports is posted to ATAC blog playing. The ATAC(Athletics) Game schedule is housed
schedules page and is on notice boards at school. S4 within the parent portal to ensure secure access for
runs from week of April 17 to June 2nd and is designat- ISM parents http://atac.ism-online.org/schedules/
ed as pre season training for S1 teams and other sports
offered by coaches. Current Grade 8 students who will Please take the time to navigate the ATAC blog http://
enter grade 9 next year should attend HS training ses- atac.ism-online.org/ as it is our one stop shop for all
sions offered. We are also running a MS Baseball and information related to the competitive ISM sports pro-
Softball development program at the HS field. Any MS gram.
students from grades 5-7 are welcome to join. Softball
Mon/Tues and Baseball is Wed/Thurs. If you have ques- For our All Year Round teams- Wall Climbing, Chess,
tions talk with Coach Tim Benford and Coach Angela Judo, TKD, Aikido, Table Tennis -As these programs are
Respecki. year round it is possible for students to join during the
year as long as space is available. See link to infor-
This weekend we host the ISM Goodwill Gymnastics mation and schedule to attend and meet the coach-
meet. Teams will arrive Friday and take part in open es. All year round sports teams See schedule for our All
warm-up sessions to get used to our facility and equip- year round teams program here
ment with the meet proper beginning
at 7:45am on Saturday May 6that the MS gym. This is Please note the practice times for ATAC programs for
the highlight event of the school year for our ISM Gym- SY 16-17 are as follows: ATAC all year round teams-
nastics Team. See below the competition schedule. 3:15-4:30. For our Sailfish swim team program please
check the Sailfish blog for information http://
ISM Goodwill meet competition schedule- sailfish.ism-online.org/
Session 1: WAG Level 2 & 4
Open Stretch: 7:00am ATAC Gymnastics team practices 3:10-4:50 M/W/F
March-In: 7:45am
Competition: 8:00am* awards will follow im- All HS seasonal teams practice from 3:05- 4:50pm on
mediately after the session their respective practice afternoons. MS seasonal
teams practice from 3:15-4:45pm.In order to clear the
Session 2: WAG Level 3 and MAG all levels campus prior to 5pm all after school programs will con-
Open Stretch: 10:30am clude by 4:50pm or earlier. The last bus is 4:55pm this
March-In: 11:05am is due to the ever increasing traffic concerns in our ar-
Competition: 11:15am * awards will follow im- ea.
mediately after the session
Parents and students please take some time to peruse
Session 3: WAG Level 5 the ATAC blog it has a wide variety of information and
Open Stretch: 1:00pm links to our sports and activities program. If you have
March-In: 2:00pm any questions regarding the competitive program of
Competition: 2:15pm *awards will follow im- sports at ISM after reading the information on the blog
mediately after the session please send an email to pekinm@ismanila.org and I will
endeavor to assist you as best I can.
Upcoming events- (full match schedule available at
ATAC Game schedule) Bearcat Den- drop by our fantastic spirit store. There is
May 6 ISM Goodwill Gymnastics Meet a a range of products and items to purchase including
May 12-14 Jakarta MS Mixed Touch tournament items from our service partners. Bearcat Den hours of
May 13 ISM Judo Invitational operation- 7am-4pm Mon-Fri.

To find out details of all the Bearcats matches mid Best Regards,
week and on weekends go to the ATAC game schedule Mark Pekin
page- link is provided below and follow the instructions Director of Athletics/Activities
to find out when and where our Bearcat teams will be
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 Mark the Date: ISM Vaccination Day
Wednesday, May 31 from 7:00am to 4:00pm in the Clinic

Last day to sign up/pay Monday, May 22

TIME TO SIGN UP FOR THE 2017 QUADRIVALENT FLU VACCINATION!

PHP - 700.00 for Quadrivalent

FLUQUADRI (Sanofi-Pasteur)
To be protected against influenza you should get vaccinated annually, since the circulating strains of the virus
change, hence the composition of the vaccine is always kept up to date. The Quadrivalent influenza vaccines
provide broader protection as they include both co-circulating B lineages. Vaccination is especially important
for people at high risk for serious flu complications (persons 60 and above, with chronic health condition and
women getting pregnant during the flu peak season) and their close contacts.
Fill in and sign one Influenza Vaccination Consent Form per person: DOWNLOAD HERE
Forms are also available from the cashiers office or the clinic and can be downloaded from the ISM website.
Present both documents on the vaccination date.

CHECK YOUR VACCINATION RECORD IF YOU NEED A TDAP BOOSTER

(tetanus/lockjaw, diphtheria and pertussis/whooping cough)
PHP 900.00 for TDap booster ADACEL (Sanofi Pasteur)
A TDap booster is needed every ten years, and it is usually prescribed within 24
hours after the slightest scratch acquired outdoors, if a person is not protected.
College freshmen are generally required to have an updated immunization record,
also for TDap.

Fill in and sign one Tetanus Vaccination Consent Form per person: DOWNLOAD HERE
Forms are also available from the cashiers office or the clinic and can be downloaded
from the ISM website. Present both documents on the vaccination date.
Everyone with a valid ISM ID, teachers and their children may are eligible to be vaccinat-
ed. Please complete the vaccination payment form (available at the Cashier office
and the Clinic) and make your payment to the Cashier (open Mo Fr 7:00am 3:15
pm). Payment must be made not later than Monday, May 22. The vaccines will then be ordered and no further
registrations can be accepted.

If you have any questions please contact Jowell Custodio or Dorothee Binsfeld at the clinic:
Clinic numbers: 840 8581 (Dorothee)/82 (Jowell) Clinic email: BinsfeldD@ismanila.org

Please note:
Influenza and Tetanus (Tdap) vaccines can be given simultaneously.
The Flu shot will not give you a 100% protection even the strains included in the vaccine
Influenza virus shots do not protect against common cold, sometimes also referred to as flu.
The minimum age for the vaccination in school is 3 years. Infants 6 month and older may be vaccinated by
their pediatrician.
Children (9 years or younger) with no prior flu shot will need a second shot after 28 days.
Pregnant women can get both shots from the second trimester onwards.
Please refrain in case of egg protein allergy.
Vaccines will be solely administered at the clinic and cannot be handed out. All unused vaccines will be for-
feited.

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 Important Information on Re-Enrollment for SY 2017-2018
Dear Parents:

Online Re-Enrollment for SY17-18 is now open. As before, parents will have to log into PowerSchool in order
to do this. Below are instructions to help. If you are not sure of your PowerSchool log-in or need support,
please contact your divisional office.

Please note that you must register online by 4PM on Friday, May 26 at the latest. PowerSchool will close on
that date and will not re-open. We have over 500 students on our waitpool, and we will assume that your
children are leaving if you have not registered online by 4PM on Friday, May 26.

If your child/ren will not be returning for SY17-18, you MUST follow the Withdrawal Procedure and submit a
Withdrawal Notification Form on or before Friday, May 12.

How to Register Online Deadline: 4PM on Friday, May 26

Visit www.ismanila.org and click on Parent Portal under the Community drop-down menu. Log-in to the
Parent Portal and click on PowerSchool.

Look for the Re-Enrollment Clearance icon on the left hand panel. Click on the icon and update:
Parent/Guardian Contact Information
Health History & Immunization Status

Once complete, you will receive a confirmation message and an email notification verifying that you have
been successful in registering online. The email will outline instructions for the remaining steps of Re-
Enrollment.

You MUST complete the entire Re-Enrollment process before the start of SY17-18. Upon completion, you will
receive your FINAL CLEARANCE NOTIFICATION, which is necessary for your child to attend class on August 7,
2017.

To check status of Re-Enrollment, please visit the Parent Portal page.

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